My Freedom Trip

"My Freedom Trip" is both a heart-breaking and insightful look into the human aspect of the Korean divide from the eyes of a young girl whose family was separated by the circumstances of the war.
The reader is put right there with little Soo, witnessing the bravery of her father, mother, and the guide who helped her cross the border, and feel the sacrifice and yearning of these events.

The writing and illustrations are equally descriptive and beautiful. Soo's experiences and feelings are easily relayed through prose, and the illustration depict the emotions and setting of the book wonderfully.

I love the quote at the end of the book where Soo remembers and reflects on her mother's last words to her, and which really bring together the show more moral and feeling of the story: "When the evening is full of moon and warm winds, I can still hear her cry- 'Be brave, Soo!' Brave for the rest of my life." show less

I loved this book because it is a great story, but I also really loved how the authors told the story and how the pictures enhanced the story. They described the surroundings and the setting so well that even without the pictures, I could envision what the character was seeing. The story is based off of their mother’s journey from North Korea to South Korea before the war and even though I, and possibly a lot of other readers, can’t personally relate to the characters and their situation, I and many others could relate to feeling scared about the unknown. The story is told in English, but the characters do speak a little Korean to each other and at the top of each page there are Korean symbols. There is also a page at the beginning show more of the book with all these symbols and their English translation, which is a great way for the authors to expose the reader to the language. show less

Frances and Ginger Park tell the story of their mother's escape from North Korea in My Freedom Trip.

Told through the voice of young Soo the journey from North to South Korea resonates with the fear and incomprehension of a child travelling with a stranger for mysterious reasons. Soo must trust her mother and father and Mr. Han and in the end there is a hole in her life.

Several publishers showed interest in "My Freedom Trip" but wanted the PArk sisters to change the ending to make it happier. I'm glad they didn't make that change. The story is what the story is and children do suffer losses. The way that life goes on and people can lead fulfilling lives that count is an important lesson.

I like this book for three reasons. First, I like the plot of the story. There were lots of great tension as the mom and Sue wait for the father’s news after he left to go to South Korea and during Sue’s journey to South Korea. They were constantly hiding from soldiers and nearly die having to cross the river that separated North and South Korea. Second, I like the bigger issue the author wants her readers to obtain from reading the book. The idea of crossing the broader is not as easy as it sounds and most of the time, it caused death. Lastly, I like the illustration of the book. Before the idea of going to South Korea was introduced, the colors were bright and warm but after the idea was introduced, the color changed to be dark show more and cool. All of the different components of the book adds to the bigger issue the author wants her readers to obtain from reading. show less

"My Freedom Trip" by Frances Park and Ginger Park is about a child's escape from the oppressive North Korea. I liked this book because it portrays a child's thoughts and perspective on escaping North Korea. It is in first person point of view, from the eyes of the little girl. It is historic. The language displays an unknown to the child, Soo. First her father left and she didn't understand "danger" She did not understand everything that was going on, but she obeyed the man taking her over the border. The writing is suspenseful and very engaging. The main purpose of this story is to show the stress and difficulty of escaping oppression in the middle of the night.

A story about a young girls escape from North Korea to freedom in South Korea. Though the escape from North Korea brought a great gift it also came with a great sacrifice. My Freedom Trip is beautifully told by the grandchildren of Soo, the main character. It includes lush oil paintings and translated Korean language.

This is a multicultural picture book about a young Korean girl, named Soo whose father leaves to get into South Korea after being invaded before it becomes too dangerous to escape. Later, he pays guide to get Soo to bring her to the border undetected. She miraculously makes it, even after the soldier sees her. The Korean War breaks out and her mother does not get to come.
I really enjoyed this story. It is filled with vocabulary from the North Korean culture. It made me feel sad to know that she was separated from her mother. The pictures add so much depth to the culture.
I would use this book to show different cultures and experiences that people from other parts of the world may have. In the front of the book there are Korean Characters show more which are place throughout the pictures. I would have the students find them at find out what they mean as defined in the book. We could also play games to pretend to get past the soldier or to be very quiet as an extension activity. show less