A North Korean girl journeys toward faith and freedom in Mathers’ middle-grade novel.
The story opens one night in 1995 as a North Korean girl named Hana and her grandfather stand by a river in the North Korean city of Sinuiju. On the other side is China, promising freedom. On their side are oppression and a killing famine. Hana’s parents haven’t returned from seeking work to feed the family. Now, Hana and her grandfather face the river they must cross for survival. “Under this night’s moonlight, soldiers would see us if we tried to go home,” thinks Hana, the book’s relatable narrator. “Death through capture and hunger if we returned. Death in the water if we went forward.” Their guide, Lú kè, a mysterious, evangelizing man of Christian faith wanted by the Chinese police, is committed to escorting “wandering swallows” out of North Korea to safety. This earnest, thought-provoking work of Christian middle-grade fiction effectively sets a tone of high-stakes suspense: “Everyone could report anyone in Choson [North Korea] for criticizing the leader or the government,” says Hana. The textured narrative is informed by late-20th-century history, before the 1997 Chinese takeover of Hong Kong, from the Tiananmen Square massacre to fear and hunger under North Korea’s iron-fisted rule. At heart, the story is about Hana’s first exposure to Christianity and her struggle with questions of faith. Writing in Hana’s voice, Mathers crafts prose that is disarmingly direct and limpid: “The train rolled over the tracks with its steady rhythm. I watched the world go by as the sun played hide-and-seek with clouds. I wondered at the idea of a God who could see humans do right and wrong and let wrong happen.”
A resonant odyssey of discovery, shaped by real-world political challenges and Christian beliefs.
Our new website milicomathersreads.com is accepting reviews for middle reader books–especially those written by middle school students. Message me at readgoodbooks@milicomathersreads.com or in the comments below.
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you credit the author.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the entities I have mentioned. Restoring the Shattered is published through Morgan James Publishing with whom I do share a material connection. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Wandering Swallow Parent/Teacher Supplement Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Psalm 84:3.
Dear Parents and Teachers,
I’m hoping you find Wandering Swallow, A Young Girl’s Quest for Freedom an enjoyable learning experience for your children/students. Along with helping students achieve automaticity in reading through engagement with the story, I also wanted to give them a peek into the culture and history of Korea and China.
Hana’s journey is more than a quest for food. It’s a soul journey. Satan often attacks our souls through our bodies. Hana has to pretend to be a boy so she will avoid the fate so many young North Korean females have faced in their search for freedom.
Over the years of the one-child rule (1979-2015), girls (as well as handicapped boys) often suffered abortion or abandonment. In Eastern culture, if parents are only allowed one offspring, they want sons.
Because of the rule, China experienced a shortage of women for men to marry. Girls like Hana are often sold into forced marriages or prostitution. I avoided making explicit references to this danger because I want to allow parents to decide how, when, and to what degree they need to explain sexual trafficking to their children.
Over the course of the story, we meet three characters with Down syndrome. Jinsique’s role mirrors the life of Baby Doe who was born with Down syndrome and esophageal atresia, a condition in which his esophagus did not connect to his stomach. A simple surgery would have resolved the issue, but his parents did not give permission.
It took Baby Doe seven days to die of starvation.
Because of the one-child rule, baby Jinsique’s life would have been in peril (before or after birth) regardless of a Down syndrome diagnosis. The care Jinsique receives in the book is what I would hope every child would know.
The history included throughout the book comes from some of the sources listed below and several conversations over years with one of the massacre survivors, Shengde Lian. Lian was one of the student-organizers of the protest and provided much of the insight Lừ ké gives to Hana at the Square. I had the blessing of interviewing him for a couple of articles I wrote as a reporter and independently.
Much of the plot of my book alludes to Elijah’s experience with wind, earthquake, and fire before he hears the still small voice (I Kings 19). May all our readers hear that voice in their own journeys following Christ.
Wandering Swallow is a tribute to young and old who dared to protest the CCP, those who defied the tyrants of North Korea, and a reminder to America, as John Philpot Curran stated, “The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.”
Thank you for your interest in Wandering Swallow.
Milico Mathers
Further Reading and Viewing for Teachers and Parents: (Parental discretion advised for some works)
Our new website milicomathersreads.com is accepting reviews for middle reader books–especially those written by middle school students. Message me at readgoodbooks@milicomathersreads.com or in the comments below.
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you credit the author.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the entities I have mentioned. Restoring the Shattered is published through Morgan James Publishing with whom I do share a material connection. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Thanks to the launch team group and the great team at EA Books Publishing for all their help that continues.
Wandering Swallow is exciting and suspenseful, filled with Christian themes and history, The book is timely since North Korea is in the news more often today, and China sees more unrest–as it did in the late 1980s and responds with a heavy hand.
Companion curriculum for homeschoolers and classroom use is coming soon.
Our new website milicomathersreads.com is accepting reviews for middle reader books–especially those written by middle school students. Message me at readgoodbooks@milicomathersreads.com or in the comments below.
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you credit the author.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the entities I have mentioned. Wandering Swallow is published by EA Books Publishing. Restoring the Shattered in published by Morgan James. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I’ll keep you updated on insider publishing news, and we’ll have Wandering Swallow tee shirt giveaways throughout the Christmas buying season.
I’m looking for team members who will read the book, buy a copy from Amazon on launch day–TBD (in late November), and post a review on Amazon and Barnes and Noble on launch day.
Thank you for all the enthusiastic encouragement! Asking God’s blessings for you!
Our new website milicomathersreads.com is accepting reviews for middle reader books–especially those written by middle school students. Message me at readgoodbooks@milicomathersreads.com or in the comments below.
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you credit the author.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the entities I have mentioned. Restoring the Shattered is published through Morgan James Publishing with whom I do share a material connection. Wandering Swallow is published by EA Books Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, I Peter 5:8, ESV.
That’s the scripture that comes to mind when I see the image below–a dragon chasing a bird–a swallow. A dragon is not a lion, but Satan is a deceiver and shapeshifter, and he is seeking to devour us.
Kudos go to the illustrator Lily Hildebrand, one of my remarkable grandkids–each of whom has remarkable gifts. Lily is a high school senior who plays soccer. She’s a trained vocalist, award-winning, as well as an artist. Aside from her inside-the-text illustrations, she also crafted the cover and the logo for milicomathersreads.com (below).
Cover, illustration, and logo images by Lily Hildebrand
Our website milicomathersreads.com is accepting reviews for middle reader books–especially those written by middle school students. Message me by DM or in the comments below.
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you credit the author.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the entities I have mentioned. Wandering Swallow is published by EA Books Publishing. Restoring the Shattered is published through Morgan James Publishing. I do share a material connection with my publishers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
So a summer passes as a breeze blows in July, here and gone.
Two conferences, another round of COVID, a “mission” trip, and family milestones and accomplishments.
After a writing conference (Blue Ridge Christian Writers) and a teaching conference (Rooted, Colson Center and ACSI), quiet and solitude came as unexpected guests via my third round of COVID (my husband’s fourth). Even so, the timing was perfect for us to recover before I had to leave for two weeks in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland.
We had gone to Northern Ireland and saw a few sights in Ireland five years ago as a celebration of my husband’s retirement. Going to the Emerald Isle, both times I’ve gone, has given me a sense of going home–a sensation I’ve never felt on my way to anywhere else.
It wasn’t a vacation, per se, since my time there included working in a cafe for a Christian effort. I didn’t have a car, so I walked or took the bus to nearby towns. A little store in the village had all I needed for meals, and newspapers with crossword puzzles too difficult for me. A language barrier of sorts within the English language itself.
But oh, the landscapes!
The photo below shows the view from near the front of our building.
Across the way is Ireland. Two countries sharing the same island and culture. The argument over Irish versus English lingers.
My down time included rest at the slower pace of a place that inspired C.S. Lewis to create Narnia. The kindness of the people in the mission and the village, the sound of the water sloshing ashore, the history, the rain, the cool air, sometimes cold by their standards.
Residents expect visitors won’t enjoy the damp, cold weather. I loved it! Maybe it hit 70 degrees Fahrenheit twice during my visit as my hometown endured 90 plus degrees this summer–nineteen times!
When I mentioned how our section of America was suffering through a dry summer, an Irish acquaintance wished he could share their rain with us. Even so, precipitation happened with regularity but was by no means a constant.
One lady asked me where I was from. When I told her Pennsylvania, she said, “That’s a swing state.” News events from America often made the front pages of Irish newspapers during the last two weeks of July.
Like the United States, Irish, North and South, argue about increasing crime, legalized abortion, and immigration.
Protests over immigration in the UK heated up after I left. Northern Ireland had its own demonstration in Belfast. I trust that Rostrevor remained the quiet village celebrating Irish/Gaelic culture as the modern world buzzed around it.
I came home eager to resume my routine, yet hoping to tap the brakes to keep my pace less frenzied.
We’ll see about that.
As a remarkable summer winds down, Wandering Swallow: A Young Girl’s Quest for Freedomis in the hands of her editor. My granddaughter is developing illustrations. My experience with EA Books Publishing has been fabulous.
I head back to the schoolroom for in-service this week and classes next week. A glow of celebration follows the baptism of a granddaughter and a long-sought accomplishment for one of my sons.
Summer has already (thankfully) unwound into cooler nights and more comfortable days. The heat will likely return, but without the endurance, we hope, it had in July and early August.
One season melds into another as life unfolds.
We’ve entered a contentious election cycle. The news of it surrounds our days.
Yet, we can have peace in the promises of God. Even here. Even now.
Tap the brakes on your pace. Listen to the sounds of quiet and life around you.
Our peace is in Him, the only source of peace.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6, NIV~
Photo Credit: My personal collection; logo by Lily Hildebrand
Our new website milicomathersreads.com is accepting reviews for middle reader books–especially those written by middle school students. Message me in the comments below.
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you credit the author.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I’ve been taking a break this summer from blogging, recovering from an intense year of teaching, writing, and working to become a Colson Fellow.
Even though I’ve been pursuing rest, I haven’t been standing still.
Aside from family and quilting time, and yet another round of COVID, I attended a couple of conferences and participated in a mission effort in Northern Ireland. I plan to update you on some of my summer adventures in future posts.
But first, the BIG announcement!
This week, I signed a contract with AE Books Publishing for my middle reader Wandering Swallow: A Young Girl’s Quest for Freedom (working title, working cover, below). Wandering Swallow garnered a first place Sonshine Award at the 2023 Florida Christian Writers Conference and was a Finalist for Writer of the Year in Serious Writer’s 2023 contest.
The story begins in Sinuiju, Chosun (North Korea), in 1995 where thirteen-year-old Hana’s school has closed because of flooding and famine. Her parents and other townspeople have left in search of work and food.
One night, Hana and Grandfather miraculously cross the Amnok River to China. Once inside a safe house, they realize they’ve joined Operation Yellowbird, a covert effort to help Chinese dissidents escape persecution in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989.
Hana and Grandfather and their guide, a survivor of the massacre, must make their way through China to Hong Kong before Chinese police can arrest them. Along the way, they encounter a windstorm, an earthquake, and the effects of underground coal fires.
Along the way, Hana learns about a Savior greater than any human leader preparing her to respond to a still small voice.
Pre-ordering will be available in October with delivery in plenty of time for Christmas!
Wandering Swallow image and logo by Lily Hildebrand.
Our new website milicomathersreads.com is accepting reviews for middle reader books–especially those written by middle school students. Message Milico Mathers Reads on Facebook or in the comments below.
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you credit the author.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the entities I have mentioned. Restoring the Shattered is published through Morgan James Publishing with whom I do share a material connection. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
“The light shines in the darkness. But the darkness has not overcome the light.” John 1:5, NIV~
What’s your favorite color? It’s a simple question. But it’s one Yeonmi Park found impossible to answer.
When Park was 13, she and her mother decided to escape from North Korea. Her sister had gone ahead days earlier. The girls’ father planned to follow later.
Park and her mother, as Park’s sister had, paid a broker to get them across the Yalu River thinking they could get jobs in China and be free.
Free–even though the citizenry of North Korea has no word for the concept of freedom or justice. Or an understanding of the pronoun I. There is only we, Park says in her book In Order to Live.
When they got to China, Park and her mother learned they were to be sold as prostitutes or wives for Chinese farmers since the country’s one child policy had created a dearth of women through sex-selective abortion.
Park watched helplessly as a broker raped her mother. Exploitation continued until they met Christian missionaries.
You might think the gathering between grace and those seeking freedom would be one of joy. But the missionaries told Park and her mother that their work in a sex chat room, the only work they could find because of their illegal status, the only work they could do to eat, was sin. They were “dirty”. They must repent or risk their entire group being captured and repatriated to North Korea.
That possibility was no small threat since North Korea typically executes defectors.
Park felt as judged as she had in North Korea during the daily self-criticism sessions.
Park was 15 when they arrived in South Korea through Mongolia. The South welcomed defectors from the North. Yet the transition from oppression to freedom was not a simple one.
Imagine growing up in a society where you almost never have to make a decision, what to wear, where to go, what your job will be, even what to eat because famine meant you ate what you could get–even dragonflies and roaches.
Park had no way to answer questions like What do you think? or What is your favorite color? She even thought that, if not for the death sentence that would ensue, it might be better to go back to North Korea where there was no burden to make decisions.
We in America give no thought to such questions. We know what we think. We know we’re right, most often without listening to those who disagree with us.
And we know which colors we prefer for our clothing, houses, and cars.
We take so much for granted. Our abundant food, our electricity that is reliable for the most part, our freedom in matters large and small.
Such abundance and freedom impressed Park–even in China, not a country most in the West would point to as a bastion of liberty.
North Korea is a land of, not only spiritual darkness, but also physical darkness. The photo above is a satellite image of electrical light at night. One bright spot indicates the capital city where dictator Kim Jong Un resides.
Darkness comes in different forms. Park was surprised and pleased to learn that South Korea had a law forbidding men to beat their wives. Abuse in the North is common and accepted. It’s not that the law is unenforced. There is no law against abuse.
North Korea is a land of darkness, physical, spiritual, moral, and intellectual.
America is a land of artificial light with a sense of freedom that is sometimes deceptive.
What’s your favorite color? You need light to perceive color.
You need light to understand oppression and to navigate freedom.
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”John 8:12, NASB~
Nancy E. Head’s Restoring the Shattered is out in paperback! Get your copy here!
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you credit the author.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the entities I have mentioned. Restoring the Shattered is published through Morgan James Publishing with whom I do share a material connection. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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