Sarang Saves the School
by Korena Di Roma Howley; illus. by Joowon Oh
Primary    Candlewick    32 pp.
7/25    9781536232318    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781536249156    $18.99

At her school in a coastal South Korean village, Sarang and her classmates sit in mostly empty rooms. Happily, this leaves more time for questions, and—bonus!—the lunch line is short. But since there aren’t enough students, the school may need to close, and Sarang’s parents say they’ll have to move to the city if that happens. Sarang loves reading and writing, but when she learns her beloved grandmother doesn’t plan to move with them, she wonders if maybe she doesn’t need to go to school. To this, Halmeoni responds that she had always wished she could attend school with her brothers but had to stay home to watch her sisters and tend the garden; Sarang suddenly understands why her mother transcribes Halmeoni’s letters to Sarang’s aunties. This gives our protagonist an idea that just might keep her school open—and soon a gratifying surprise is planned for the village’s grandmothers. The heartwarming story is accompanied by Oh’s pastel-toned, sunlit illustrations of the village’s sparkling sea and smiling students, young and old; a scene late in the book showing Halmeoni writing her own letter is especially touching. Howley’s appended note cites a 2019 New York Times article about South Korean grandmothers attending elementary school, but mentions that as people move to cities and have fewer children, many rural schools throughout the country are unfortunately closing.

From the September/October 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.