The Other Side of Tomorrow
by Tina Cho; illus. by Deb JJ Lee
Intermediate, Middle School    HarperAlley/HarperCollins    224 pp.
11/24    9780063011083    $24.99
Paper ed.  9780063011076    $15.99
e-book ed.  9780063011090    $10.99

In this intense and moving comic, we follow two North Korean refugees—Yunho, a shy, thoughtful boy; and Myunghee, a music-loving girl—on a harrowing year-long trek through mountains, cities, and jungles. The story opens in 2013 and unfolds in diary-like alternating chapters in lyrical language, starting with daily hardships under the brutal communist regime—famine, hard labor, the threat of constant spying, and deadly consequences for rule-breakers. Instead of attending school, Yunho scavenges for scrap metal, while orphaned Myunghee sells foraged vegetables. After witnessing a public execution, the strangers-turned-friends flee on foot into China, eventually reuniting with Yunho’s mother and following an underground network of guides to help them evade the police and military. Life on the run is dangerous—the trio is captured and put into prison; their escape through the jungle to Laos is full of peril, and their crossing into Thailand is almost derailed by a corrupt border guard. Despite the bleak circumstances, Cho’s characters grow emotionally though exposure to the outside world, kindness from strangers, and awakening religious faith. Lee’s detailed, cinematic digital illustrations vividly convey the refugees’ journey. Ghostly pale orange and gray scenes with occasional color flashes for positive experiences (like a full meal or a K-pop song) gradually brighten until the trio reaches their new home in California. An endnote includes information on North Korea’s history and repressive government.

From the March/April 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.