Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature winner Ellie Crowe and bestselling children's author Scott Peters tell this gripping story about one young refugee's escape from the oppression of North Korea.

14-year-old Dae has been taught that North Korea is the best place in the world. Yet the painfully skinny boy can't help wondering why all his family has to eat is watery porridge made from grass. At school, Dae and his friends bow before the giant portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, their clothes flapping around their bony limbs. Dae begins to question why the Great Leaders look so well fed. When Dae's beloved father is hauled away to a hard-labor camp, the young teen must fend for himself. Alone, things turn from bad to worse and Dae dreams of rebellion--of fleeing across the scary border into China to look for work. For how else can he help feed his family and pay the bribes to free his father But can he survive the deadly crossing? Does he have what it takes to escape?

Young readers will be transported by this new series about brave kids who face real-world challenges and find ways to escape. Sure to appeal to fans of New York Times Bestseller Lauren Tarshis's I Survived Series and Refugee by Alan Gratz.

A study guide is available at https: //tinyurl.com/studynk

A powerful, relevant read in turbulent times.