Peacebound Trains

Sumi is a Korean-American girl who lives with her grandmother, whom she calls Harmony (which means grandmother in Korean), on East Blossom Hill. Her mother is in the army and Sumi is homesick for her. Sumi watches the trains in the valley below hoping that someday her mother will be on one. The train whistle reminds Sumi's grandmother of when the Korean War took place. She and her family escaped from Seoul, Korea just before the war came. This marked a very sorrowful time in Harmony's life because she had to leave her husband behind in Seoul to travel to Pusan, which was safe. Though her husband loved her, he insisted that he needed to take part in the war by being a soldier. I like this book because it has great description. You can read it when you want to read a good book but you don't have too much time to read. It is a mixture between a chapter book and a picture book. The illustrations are amazing. The writer involoves you in the story so you can imagine everything that is happening as if it was happening to you. It was very easy for me to put myself in the place of the characters in the book so I could "be in the story". This is an excellent book. It is the best picture or short story I've ever read. The pictures illustrate the writing well and add something to the book. I would recommend it to anyone over the age of 9. It is a very emotional book and the author clearly describes the sad events in the characters' lives.

This is a magnificent book for readers of all ages to enjoy and explore. Younger children may enjoy it on it's simplest level of a child missing a mother. Older readers will enjoy learning about the effects of war on family and friends. Everyone will savor the gracious art of the illustrator and will feel the story through his heartfelt interpretation of the author's words. Haemi Balgassi has truly written this story from her heart and tears and we are more than fortunate to be able share her family's history. Every classroom should own a copy of this wonderful history lesson

In this profoundly moving and beautifully illustrated picture storybook, Haemi Balgassi tells the story of the train which carried South Korean citizens south, away from the reach of North Korean invading troops. Structured as a story within a story, the book carries with it a sense of history, the terror and loss of war, and the hope that causes the most damaged humans to live for the future. This book is a TRIUMPH!

I teach 3rd and 4th grade accelerated reading programs, and recommend this book heartily. Very moving and powerful, and the art is beautiful, too.