Young-Hee and the Pullocho - by Mark James Russell (Paperback)

About the Book

"Everything in Young-hee's life is wrong. Her dad is gone, her mom is overworked, and she's forced to move back to Seoul. The girls at her school are nasty, and her little brother Bum is a pain in the butt. Then Young-hee stumbles into a magical world where the fairy tales of her childhood become real and all the frustrations of her everyday life quickly fade away. But when Bum is kidnapped in that magical realm, the only way Young-hee can save him is to go on a perilous quest in search of the magical Pullocho plant. And she soon finds herself facing decisions that affect not just her little brother, but fate of an entire world."--Page 4 cover.

Book Synopsis

Set in Korea, this multicultural, middle-reader novel is the riveting story of a magical realm, a little girl, her brother and a daring rescue.

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

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

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

Review Quotes

"...the ending of this book was extremely well written. There is a plot twist, that is both surprising and easily explained; small clues for it are scattered throughout the book. [...] Overall, Young-hee and the Pullocho could be best described as a Korean cross between The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and the Percy Jackson series." --Kids' BookBuzz blog

"A likable, modern heroine, Young-hee deals with challenges that, while sometimes dreamlike, bring about definite changes in her viewpoint. This quick-paced adventure story is one of the few middle-grade novels available here that reflect Korean culture and lore." --Booklist

"Author Mark James Russell does an incredible job with descriptive language; readers will want to reread the descriptions of the landscape, characters and events simply so they can enjoy the sentences a second time." --KidsReads blog

"For Young-hee, 13, nothing about her family's return to Seoul after five years in Canada has been pleasant. When she discovers a hidden door to a vibrant magical land, it's a welcome escape from her life's depressing realities. Young-hee's younger brother accompanies her on her second trip through the portal, and during that trip, he falls for a trap set by a crafty dokkaebi (goblin). So Young-hee makes a desperate deal with the dokkaebi: She will go on a journey to find a pullocho, a rare magical plant, and exchange it for her brother's freedom so they can both return home. Russell enriches his debut novel with many details borrowed from Korean folk tales. Fans of stories within stories will enjoy the tales included here(...)" --Kirkus

"Her journey is fantastic and full of rich mythological creatures that come to vivid life under Russell's pen...each chapter ends with a little story, a folktale that is often elaborated upon or retold or alluded to in some way in the narrative itself. This technique gives texture to the narrative and adds a richness to the detail. It also connects Young-Hee's story to the stories that are already in existence. A very neat way to make readers interested in folklore." --The Book Wars blog

"I definitely recommend this book for young adult readers (middle school and above I would think) and adults, especially those who like fantasy and/or fairy tales. It's entertaining, full of fun fairy/folk tales, colourful characters --both good and bad (and some who are neither or both) -- and a story that comes alive because of the author's fabulously descriptive writing. I giggled, I got annoyed, and I cried...but more importantly, I was engaged in and with the story..." --ATK Magazine

"The book cleverly intersperses the main plot with classically presented Korean folktales, emphasizing the mythical nature of the characters and introducing them without TOO much clunky explanation." --The Korea Herald

"We all need to escape from our grey existence every now and then, and this book is a very enjoyable way of doing it." --Philip Gowman, London Korean Links

About the Author

Mark James Russell is a Canadian journalist and writer who has been living in Korea since 1996. He has written extensively about Korean entertainment and culture for newspapers and magazines. He is the author of K-Pop Now! (Tuttle Publishing 2014).