Meet Helen Ku Rhee, One of the 2020 PB Stars

​ Meet Helena Ku Rhee. She’s originally from Los Angeles, California, but she’s lived in Asia, Europe, and other parts of the US.  

Helena loves traveling. She’s camped in the African Sahara, gone swimming with Asian elephants in Thailand, and taken a horseback tour of the Easter Islands. They’re famous for their statues, all 1000 of them. I wonder how many Helena counted. 

If you’d like to see the moai or find the island on a map, click on this link: https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/samerica/easterisland.htm
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Helena majored in English in college. She’s written for adults at the Los Angeles Times and for Salon.com. Now she works by day at a movie studio. At night and on weekends she writes for kids. Click on this link to learn more about her: http://helenakrhee.com/
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​Meet Helena’s debut book from 2018. The Turtle Ship is loosely based on the story of Korean hero and Admiral Yi Sun-Sin.

In Helena’s version Sun-Sin spent his childhood with a pet turtle. He dreamed about them sailing the world together. Sun-Sin’s family was poor so his dreams seemed impossible until the king announced a contest. Whoever designed the best battleship to defend the Korean homeland would earn a spot in the royal navy, and a chance to sail the world.  
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Sun-sin went to work, but his spirits sank with each boat. It seemed inpossible until Sun-sin sat down with his best friend, turtle. That’s when he really looked at him. Small but mighty. Slow yet steady, and best of all a turtle never sinks. You’ll have to read Helena’s story to  see how the Turtle Ship became part of Korean history.

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This is Helena’s newest book. It  came out in February, and it grew out of her childhood experiences.

Daniel usually goes to bed at home when his parents go into work to clean offices. Not tonight! The babysitter cancelled so Daniel went with them. He saw brooms and mops and vacuems, but he discovered something better – a paper kingdom filled with dragons and kings. It’s a magical place where anything can happen. Where small boys can grow up to become kings.
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Daniel’s story is really Helena’s. She went to work with her parents, tired and grumpy. They told her incredible stories that made everything better. Today Helena has her own magical kingdom. Where is it? Inside her books.

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