Cho, Tina. Other Side of Tomorrow, The. Deb J.J. Lee, Illus. Harper Alley, 11/2024. 224pp. Graphic. Trade $15.99. 978-0-0630-1107-6. GRADES 6–8. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
This moving and dramatic account of two very different twelve-year-olds is told in parallel diary entries and shown in lovely, crisp, various-sized panels, filled with detail. While nature is still beautiful in 2013 North Korea, grinding poverty, fear, and hopelessness have drained the world of bright color. Moments of imagination and emotional connection brighten and deepen the hues, cluing the reader to the powerful effect hope has on both shy and obedient Yunho and determined and spunky Myunghee. The two encounter each other repeatedly in moments of crisis, eventually becoming companions on an epic journey. Broken into five substantial chapters, set in five countries, the impact of bad politics looms large: famine, tyranny, and intolerance. Their emotional lives also take center stage, as they struggle with jealousy, guilt, anger, doubt, and the surprising difficulty of freedom. Back matter includes a brief primer on North Korean history and on the Asian underground railroad. Virtually all characters are Asian, from Korea, China, Laos, Thailand, and the U.S. Review based on an ARC.
Melissa McAvoy—Retired