Lane 5 - Grand Prize at the 21st Munhak Neighborhood Children's Literature Award

Description

“Healthy and confident female and child subjects were born.”
Won the grand prize at the Munhakdongne Children’s Literature Award with unprecedentedly strong support from the judges.

『Number 5 Lane』, which depicts the joys and sorrows of thirteen-year-old swimmers, was highly praised for being a rare sports story in Korean children's and youth literature, and for brilliantly embodying the theme of 'growth of body and mind' through the subject of swimming. The healthy appearance of children who seriously think about their future and move forward energetically toward the path they have chosen is something that all of the judges of the Munhakdongne Children's Literature Award especially unanimously praised. The 6th grade of elementary school, on the way to becoming a teenager, is a time when many changes occur and at the same time, it is a time when changes must be made. A guiding fairy tale for children who are increasingly worried about tomorrow has come in the form of “Lane 5.”
Naru, the main character, who does not hide his confidence and ambition in swimming and even reveals the darkness in his heart to the reader, is an unprecedented three-dimensional character. The significance and achievement of this work can be discovered once again in allowing us to meet such confident and independent female children. The author's skill in handling the romance of children in the upper grades of elementary school in a balanced and serious manner is also outstanding. The moments of first love, depicted as clearly as the clear water of an empty school swimming pool or a sudden shower on a hot day, make readers' hearts flutter.
Therefore, the reviewer's comment that it is “a comprehensive gift set of wonderful stories that you must experience as an elementary school student” is therefore accurate. This sparkling, water-colored fairy tale, full of the worries and choices, frustration and growth, friendship and love of thirteen-year-old children, is bound to fascinate countless readers.

Instead of telling a story about children going on grand adventures while fighting the world, the author chose a story about each child passing through their own light and shadows to reach their touchpad fairly. This realistic and detailed perspective makes this work sparkle. _Song Mi-kyung (children’s story writer)

“A match is about trying to win.
“I want to win.”

Kang Na-ru, 2 years old, main sport is freestyle. He is the undisputed ace of the Hangang Elementary School swimming team, winning medals at the National Youth Sports Festival. With the appearance of her rival Kim Cho-hee, Naru stands in 'lane 5', symbolizing 'second place', and her doubts, anxieties, worries and troubles begin to swirl in Naru's mind. Moreover, her coach's words, "Winning and losing are not everything in swimming, and sometimes how you lose are more important," are puzzling. With such a dizzy mind, will I be able to successfully compete in the national swimming competition this summer? Still unaware of what awaits her at the end of her lane, Naru welcomes her last summer at elementary school with more enthusiasm than anyone else.
Due to repeated defeats, a shadow falls in Naru's mind. However, Naru eventually faces her own shortcomings head on. In order to be proud of her own sweat as she fiercely waded through the water, and not to run away from her water. In this way, “I realize with my own body and mind that learning how to win and how to lose are ultimately the same thing, and whether I soar or fall depends on my own choice.” (Song Mi-kyung) Naru moves forward only after reviewing her mistakes one by one. The sight leaves a deep impression, and the afterimage remains for a long time. It becomes clear that her line, 'lane 5', was not a place to collapse and stay, but a place of growth that served as a stepping stone to get up again and move on.

After reading the book, children will want to soar into their own world that they really like. The moment you throw yourself into a world, you will ask yourself why you must do so, and you will find your own answer. _Song Mi-kyung (children’s story writer)

Moving toward your own touchpad
A dazzling race, one by one

Author Eun So-hol shows the age of 'thirteen', the path to change where worries about the future begin, from various angles through the eyes of swimming children. This is the age when you have to decide whether or not to go to middle school for physical education to continue swimming, it is also the time when your records stop as you hit the limits of your body and mind, and for some, it is the last chance to start swimming in earnest. Naru and other children are taking a dip in the same swimming pool, but each of them has different feelings. And in their own way, they worry about what choice they will make in the last moments of childhood and which touchpad they should point towards. “Because everyone else’s work looks easy.” The voices of children who know that they must decide their own path and are able to bear the weight of that choice are wonderfully strong.
The reason this work shines so brightly is because the lanes that unfold in front of each of the children other than the main character, Naru, are all drawn clearly and vividly. The author's view of all children as protagonists, whether they win a medal or not, whether they swim or not, is warm and trustworthy. The work, which provides ample space for all the children who appear in the story, faithfully fulfills the role of a fairy tale that cares for and cares for every nook and cranny. This is why I am already looking forward to writer Eun So-hol’s next work.
A green lane stretches out in front of the children. At the end, the sight of children jumping into the water, saying, “There is a door they must open,” is dazzling. I want to add to the voices cheering at the top of my lungs. The reader's mind is the same as the writer's mind. The author wrote this work with the intention of cheering on everyone who is doing their best in their respective races. Taeyang writes in a letter and hands it to Naru, “I’m always on your side. “Even when I’m not on your side,” are also the author’s words to the readers.

Children who are worried that the watermelon seeds in their stomachs will grow,
Athletes in the competition arena flying through the water,
Every time I encounter those sparkling moments
I thought it was a waste to watch it alone.
In fact, what I did was create a beautiful floating pattern on the water like marbled paint.
I only got a glimpse of their appearances on paper.
_From author Eun Sohol’s acceptance speech

[A word from the characters]

Bright lights, a cool smell that fills your nose,
Clear water that shows through the tiles on the floor and straight lane lines.
The reason I'm here may be a little different from yours.

◆ Kang Na-ru
“Naru, swimming isn’t everything in the world.”
“No, it’s everything to me.”

◆ Kim Cho-hee
“I knew there was something stronger than the talisman of victory.”
"what is that?"
"me."

◆ Jeong Taeyang
“I think I should try to do it right at least once. before it's too late.
It's a shame it stays like this. “I keep thinking about it.”

◆ Ji Seung-nam
"I am… … 5 to 5.
“Half I want to do more, half I want to stop at this point.”

◆ River willow
“I don’t have any regrets because I’ve done enough swimming.
And diving was quite fun.
I keep thinking about it while running. “It should be the most beautiful flight.”

◆ Kim Sarang
“Did you see it? The start is like Cupid's arrow.
Go straight ahead. “With all my might.”

◆ Park Se-chan
“I hate complicated things. So go swimming.
“I like to just move forward from beginning to end.”

◆ Shin Dong-hee
“I like being barefoot all the time.
“The shoes of the world are too small to contain my feet.”

When I read this work, my ears keep opening.
It's not just the sound of cheering at a swimming stadium or the sound of your body rubbing against the water.
It is the sound of the heart beating very quietly yet strongly.
When I hear that sound, my heart races. _Song Mi-kyung (children’s story writer)