Pong has grown up in Namwon Prison in Chattanna city, born to a prisoner who later died. Nok, daughter of Namwon Prison's warden, has grown up believing in the rule of law established by the city's governor. Escaping Namwon at 9, Pong spends four years at a Buddhist temple in the mountains, taught and protected by Father Cham, before Nok's family arrives in the nearby village. Knowing Nok has recognized him, Pong flees. Nok goes in pursuit, wanting to prove herself to her family. Back in Chantanna, Pong gets caught up in a resistance movement among the city's poor against the government. He's motivated less by the fight for justice than the movement leader's promise to help him flee the city again. Nok, hunting for Pong, feels no compassion for the hardships of the city's poor. As the governor, whose costly magical orbs light the city, says: "Light shines on the worthy." Nok doesn't see that wealth, not worthiness, determines opportunity, and government laws perpetuate the economic status quo. A vibrant, richly textured fantasy in a Thai-inspired setting moves back and forth between Pong's and Nok's narratives, which collide at the protest in this homage to Les Miserables and its social justice-driven themes. Pong and Nok lead an entire cast of memorable characters, and the two protagonists don't just come to see the world around them more clearly, but themselves and one another, too. (Ages 9-12)

A 2021 Newbery Honor Book

A boy on the run. A girl determined to find him. A compelling fantasy looks at issues of privilege, protest, and justice.

All light in Chattana is created by one man — the Governor, who appeared after the Great Fire to bring peace and order to the city. For Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, the magical lights represent freedom, and he dreams of the day he will be able to walk among them. But when Pong escapes from prison, he realizes that the world outside is no fairer than the one behind bars. The wealthy dine and dance under bright orb light, while the poor toil away in darkness. Worst of all, Pong’s prison tattoo marks him as a fugitive who can never be truly free.

Nok, the prison warden’s perfect daughter, is bent on tracking Pong down and restoring her family’s good name. But as Nok hunts Pong through the alleys and canals of Chattana, she uncovers secrets that make her question the truths she has always held dear. Set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world, Christina Soontornvat’s twist on Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables is a dazzling, fast-paced adventure that explores the difference between law and justice — and asks whether one child can shine a light in the dark.