In the Shadow of the Sun

By Anne Sibley O'Brien

Siblings flee North Korea with forbidden photos, risking everything to save their father.

3.8/5 Goodreads · 1,234 ratings

336 pages· 83,892 words· Est. 11.5 hour read

$17.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Mia and her brother Simon are thrust into a perilous escape across North Korea after their father is arrested for espionage. With forbidden photos of labor camps in hand, they must navigate a hostile landscape where trust is scarce and capture could mean death. As they race toward the border, Mia grapples with her identity and the meaning of home. Will they succeed in their desperate mission, or will the oppressive regime catch up with them? This gripping tale of survival and courage offers a rare glimpse into a nation shrouded in mystery.

From the publisher

Hatchet in North Korea: A sister and brother go on the run with explosive forbidden photographs in this gripping and timely survival adventure.North Korea is known as the most repressive country on Earth, with a dictatorial leader, a starving population, and harsh punishment for rebellion.Not the best place for a family vacation.Yet that’s exactly where Mia Andrews finds herself, on a tour with her aid-worker father and fractious older brother, Simon. Mia was adopted from South Korea as a baby, and the trip raises tough questions about where she really belongs. Then her dad is arrested for spying, just as forbidden photographs of North Korean slave-labor camps fall into Mia’s hands. The only way to save Dad: get the pictures out of the country. Thus Mia and Simon set off on a harrowing journey to the border, without food, money, or shelter, in a land where anyone who sees them might turn them in, and getting caught could mean prison – or worse.An exciting adventure that offers a rare glimpse into a compelling, complicated nation, In the Shadow of the Sun is an unforgettable novel of courage and survival.

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