Brother's Keeper

By: Julie Lee

Narrated by: Cindy Kay

Two children must escape North Korea on their own in this harrowing novel based on a true story.

North Korea. December, 1950.

Twelve-year-old Sora and her family live under an iron set of rules: No travel without a permit. No criticism of the government. No absences from Communist meetings. Wear red. Hang pictures of the Great Leader. Don't trust your neighbors. Don't speak your mind. You are being watched.

But war is coming, war between North and South Korea, between the Soviets and the Americans. War causes chaos - so war is the perfect time to escape. The plan is simple: Sora and her family will walk for weeks from their tiny northern village to the South Korean city of Busan - if they can avoid napalm, frostbite, border guards, and enemy soldiers.

But they can't. And when an incendiary bombing breaks the family apart, Sora and her little brother, Young, must get to South Korea on their own. Can a 12-year-old girl and her eight-year-old brother survive 300 miles of warzone in winter?

Based on the incredible true experience of the author's mother as a refugee during the Korean War, Brother's Keeper offers listeners a view into a vanished world and a closed nation.

©2020 Julie Lee (P)2020 Recorded Books

Great story of survival and hope

Amazing, heartfelt story that brought tears to my eyes. The author brings characters to life with masterful use of poetic language.

A story not to be forgotten

Thank you for this audiobook. I recommend this book as it is a story that should not be forgotten; the escape from Northern Korea (Korean War suffering), the courage and determination to survive, the ranking of girls in (hopefully) fading social structures and the mistranslations caused by pain, grief and anger. I liked the narrator’s voice and narration style very much. I only rated a 4 as the range of different characters voices is limited, however, in this story it is less relevant.

Must read/listen!

Wow!!! This book has my whole heart. I highly recommend that everyone reads it - old or young.

Captivating Read!

Read this book with my daughters ages 10 & 12. We could not put it down! It is a suspenseful page turner. The Korean War was a terrible time in history and to read about the struggles this family had to overcome is really incredible. It brings the war to life. We really loved this book and recommend it for children and adults alike. It is very easy to identify with the characters. Two thumbs up!

Amazing

Loved this book so so much. Enlightening, heartwarming and well written. Narration is perfection! 10/10

It’s so good but so sad

It was adventurous and exhilarating I was up all night listening and I was literally crying when I heard the bad part and I feel so bad because it was based on a real event. Totally recommend for 10-13. 10/10 😁🤩😛🙂😃.

Wonderful Historical Fiction

This is a wonderful historical fiction book. Make sure to listen to the author's note following the end of the book.

Live the Forgotten War

My family and I listen to/read historical fiction, so we broaden our understanding of the world around us and explore the past. In Brother's Keeper we felt like we were escaping North Korea, experiencing the struggle between the main character and her mother, holding our breath as she and her brother fought to get to safety. This book gave fantastic opportunities to discuss real life struggles and challenges with my family, and we are already recommending it to friends.