Free delivery on all orders above $30
Get 10% off all year round! Join Thryft Club
Get 10% off all year round and $10 off your next order! Join Thryft Club

Your cart

Your cart is empty

Check out these collections!

Bestselling Fiction
Bestselling Nonfiction
Bestselling Books for Children
Vintage and Rare Books
Vinyl Records
Women's Clothing
Men's Clothing

Stay in touch and win free books

Keep up with our latest sales and events, and receive
recommendations direct to your inbox. We'll only send the good stuff, promise!

By completing this form, you are signing up to receive our emails and can unsubscribe at any time

Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea

by Sungju Lee, Susan Elizabeth McClelland   |  Ages 13+
Compare to estimated retail price: S$20.50  

The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!

The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.

Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea
Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea

Survival tale of a boy's resilience in North Korea.

Imagine a life where everything you know is upended at a very young age, pushing you into a reality of survival, camaraderie, and constant danger—that's Sungju Lee's life in "Every Falling Star." This memoir doesn't just recount the challenges; it's a firsthand glimpse into a secretive nation and a testament to the human spirit's adaptability. If you're seeking to understand resilience and the power of hope amid adversity, Sungju's story will both educate and inspire.

  • Lincoln Award Nominee (2021)
  • The Magnolia Award Nominee for 9-12 (2018)
  • OLA Red Maple Award for Non-Fiction (2019)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea

by Sungju Lee, Susan Elizabeth McClelland   |  Ages 13+
Compare to estimated retail price: S$20.50  

The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!

The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.

Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

Find out more about our process here.

Special Offer

Buy 3, Get 1 Free On All Items Under S$10

Add 4 items under S$10 to your cart — the cheapest one is on us.

ISBN: 9781419727610
Authors: Sungju Lee, Susan Elizabeth McClelland
Publisher: Amulet Paperbacks
Date of Publication: 2017-10-17
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Young Readers
Related Topics: Realistic Fiction, Adventure
Goodreads rating: 4.31
(rated by 6884 readers)

Description

Every Falling Star, the first book to portray contemporary North Korea to a young audience, is Sungju Lee’s intense memoir about being forced at age 12 to live on the streets and fend for himself. “Presents North Korea as a horrifying real-life dystopia. The book, the first of its kind aimed at young adults, is a first-person account of what it is like to be born and raised in a terrifying environment.” — The Guardian Dedicating his book to those he left behind in North Korea, Sungju Lee writes, “North Korea is indeed a Hermit Kingdom; a true-to-life dystopian nation. It’s against this backdrop that my story takes place.” To survive, Sungju creates a gang and lives by thieving, fighting, begging, and stealing rides on cargo trains. Sungju richly recreates his scabrous story, depicting what it was like for a boy alone to create a new family with his gang, “his brothers,” to daily be hungry and to fear arrest, imprisonment, and even execution. The book starts with a brief, never-before-told history of modern North Korea that puts Sungju’s personal story into context. Then he and coauthor Susan Elizabeth McClelland describe the four years of danger and desperation he endured after being abandoned by his parents. You may not believe the things that he was forced to endure
 

Survival tale of a boy's resilience in North Korea.

Imagine a life where everything you know is upended at a very young age, pushing you into a reality of survival, camaraderie, and constant danger—that's Sungju Lee's life in "Every Falling Star." This memoir doesn't just recount the challenges; it's a firsthand glimpse into a secretive nation and a testament to the human spirit's adaptability. If you're seeking to understand resilience and the power of hope amid adversity, Sungju's story will both educate and inspire.

  • Lincoln Award Nominee (2021)
  • The Magnolia Award Nominee for 9-12 (2018)
  • OLA Red Maple Award for Non-Fiction (2019)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.