All I have to say is the last forty or so pages had me on the edge of my seat and if I did I don't remember breathing. This book was great because it gives you a child's view of the end of WWII. I can not imagine growing up in a world torn apart by war and thank god every day that it didn't happen to me. I was so sucked in when the author would describe people especially the grandfather. When he is siting under the tree 10 year old Sookan describes in detail what her grandfather looks like, from his skinny legs to the wrinkles on his face. I could really picture the characters in the book. When she described the blue eyes of the Russian soldiers its like the eyes popped out of the book and hit me in the face. All of the struggles that little Sookan had to endure it felt like I was there with her from her troubles at the Japanese school to her long journey south. I was hoping and praying that her and her little brother made it there safely near the end of the book. One thing I noticed was it took a while to get hooked into the book but once I did the book was over, the pages flew by. I would recommend this book because it depicts horrors of a war from a child's point of view and although some of the references might be touchy subjects in school they are things that happen all over the world today and are issues that probably should be taught about in school. This book is a great segway to topics like human rights and children's rights. Good book By the author Sook Nyul Choi.