Age range 9 to 11

So annoying.

In Young-hee's life everything feels wrong. It seemed like only yesterday that herworld was just as it should be. But now her dad is gone, her mom isoverextended, and Young-hee is forced to move back to Seoul-and not a nicepart of Seoul, either. To make matters worse, the girls at her new school arenasty, and her little brother Bum is an insufferable, attention-hogging pain.

Then Young-hee stumbles into a magical world, where the fairy stories of herchildhood are real and all the frustrations of her everyday life fade away-untilBum is kidnapped, and the only way Young-hee can save him is by finding themagical pullocho plant. Soon, she is plunged into an epic quest, encounteringdragons and fairies and facing decisions that affect not only Bum, but the fate ofan entire world.

In Young-hee and the Pullocho, debut novelist Mark James Russell puts aKorean spin on an evergreen fantasy trope, interweaving Korean folktales withthe story of a young girl who, without realizing it, is in search of herself. Readersof all ages will want to join Young-hee as she journeys from the dingiest part ofSeoul to enchanted lands that prove more beautiful-and more dangerous-thanshe ever could have imagined.