Author: Sook Nyul Choi
Title: The Year of Impossible Goodbyes
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Date: 1991
Age level: Elementary (3-4) Upper (5-6)
Summary:
This is a story of a little girl who lived in North Korea during WWII and the beginning of the Korean War. It tells the struggles her family went through with the Japanese during WWII and all the hardships dealt to them. Finally, when the war ends they believe freedom will come again, but the Russians invade and seize control. The little girl and her brother try to escape to South Korea, but a lot of obstacles stand in their way.
Strengths:
The book uses fairly simple language which is great for upper elementary students to understand, yet also throws in some new vocabulary. It also adds some Korean and Japanese words, which strengthens their idea of other cultures. It is filled with traditions and historical information on Korea, which is great for the children to learn. The story is told from the point of view of a young girl, which makes it easily relatable for elementary school students. The story itself can be pretty upsetting and demoralizing, but it is good for the students to learn the history of another country.
Concerns:
Sometimes the book has too graphic of depictions of some of the hardships that the family endures in Korea. It may be a little much for some of the younger children to take, and a little hard for them to comprehend. It is something the teacher would really have to talk about with the students, and some parents may be opposed to the harsh reality the children in the story face. Also, when trying to explain some concepts, the book is a little vague, and I struggled to understand what it was trying to say. I think the goal was to make it from the point of view of the girl, and she did not always know what was going on. However, this can be slightly confusing for a reader and may cause them to lose interest.
Classroom use/Other comments:
This is a great book to use in a history class when talking about the impact of WWII on other countries or even the Korean War. This book could even be used to explain a background of Korea itself, and what children there had to deal with for many years.
Title: The Year of Impossible Goodbyes
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Date: 1991
Age level: Elementary (3-4) Upper (5-6)
Summary:
This is a story of a little girl who lived in North Korea during WWII and the beginning of the Korean War. It tells the struggles her family went through with the Japanese during WWII and all the hardships dealt to them. Finally, when the war ends they believe freedom will come again, but the Russians invade and seize control. The little girl and her brother try to escape to South Korea, but a lot of obstacles stand in their way.
Strengths:
The book uses fairly simple language which is great for upper elementary students to understand, yet also throws in some new vocabulary. It also adds some Korean and Japanese words, which strengthens their idea of other cultures. It is filled with traditions and historical information on Korea, which is great for the children to learn. The story is told from the point of view of a young girl, which makes it easily relatable for elementary school students. The story itself can be pretty upsetting and demoralizing, but it is good for the students to learn the history of another country.
Concerns:
Sometimes the book has too graphic of depictions of some of the hardships that the family endures in Korea. It may be a little much for some of the younger children to take, and a little hard for them to comprehend. It is something the teacher would really have to talk about with the students, and some parents may be opposed to the harsh reality the children in the story face. Also, when trying to explain some concepts, the book is a little vague, and I struggled to understand what it was trying to say. I think the goal was to make it from the point of view of the girl, and she did not always know what was going on. However, this can be slightly confusing for a reader and may cause them to lose interest.
Classroom use/Other comments:
This is a great book to use in a history class when talking about the impact of WWII on other countries or even the Korean War. This book could even be used to explain a background of Korea itself, and what children there had to deal with for many years.
No comments:
Post a Comment