The Fire Keeper’s Son by Linda Sue Park

Summary: This is a historical fiction story set in Korea. A young boy’s father is responsible for lighting a fire on top of a mountain every night to let the village next to them know everything is fine. The next mountain is lit all the way up to the king. If the light is not lit, soldiers will be sent. The boy’s father is hurt, and he takes on the responsibility. He toys with the idea of not lighting a fire because he would like to meet the soldiers.

With children, a teacher may have a conversation about their responsibilities and if they ever had to take on something very important. Have they ever had to choose what is right vs. what they want? There is a blurb in the back describing the complicated procedure of lighting historically. With older children, they could further research this or other historical traditions. An extension could be to have students read other historical fiction on their own and research history in that time as well.

Interest Level: grades k-6
Reading Level: grade 3