A soaring story that will sweep listeners from the docks of China to the court of Kublai Khan as young Haoyou learns to ride the winds strapped to a great scarlet kite in the traveling circus of the Great Miao. But other winds swirl about Haoyou, winds of revenge and deceit and greed. And no matter how high he flies, there is always greedy Uncle Bo, holding him like an anchor, waiting to drag him down. A breathtaking historical novel from two time Whitbread Prize winner Geraldine McCaughrean.
1 of 1 copy available
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
January 27, 2017 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781933322643
- File size: 200221 KB
- Duration: 06:57:07
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 900
- Text Difficulty: 4-5
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Reviews
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When 12-year-old Haoyou's beloved father is killed, he must protect his little family from greedy relatives and from Di Chou, the ship's filthy, loutish first mate who caused his father's death. Haoyou manages, with the help of Mipeng, his cousin, to shanghai Di Chou. Before he returns, they run away with the Jade Circus, where Haoyou becomes a kite rider, soaring among the clouds, finding an affinity with the sky spirits. Below, Mipeng pretends to interpret "spirit messages" from the sky, and Chinese history unfolds like a paper fan. Eventually, Haoyou meets Kublai Khan and is conscripted into the Mongol army. Cynthia Bishop narrates the Full Cast audio production, as thrills, near-death experiences, and meticulous historical detail of thirteenth-century Chinese culture make this considerably more than a YA novel. S.J.H. 2005 YALSA Selection (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine -
November 24, 2003
Set in 13th-century China, this novel begins with a 12-year-old boy who witnesses his father's death, then follows him on a journey that takes him to Kublai Khan's court. "With her exuberant, nonstop plotting and supremely colorful setting, the author grabs hold of readers' imaginations and doesn't let go," PW
said. Ages 12-up. -
July 8, 2002
With her exuberant, nonstop plotting and supremely colorful setting, McCaughrean (The Stones Are Hatching) grabs hold of readers' imaginations and doesn't let go. In 13th-century China, a 12-year-old boy prepares to say goodbye to his father, who is about to put to sea as a crew member of the Chabi, and to watch the testing of the wind, which involves strapping a man to a huge kite and seeing if it flies straight up (a good omen for the Chabi's voyage) or at a certain angle (foretelling danger). But almost before Haoyou knows what is happening, the first mate makes his father the wind-tester, and Haoyou looks on in horror as his father becomes a speck in the distant sky, then returns, lifeless, to earth. All this McCaughrean accomplishes in less than 10 pages, establishing a breakneck pace, which she maintains with seeming ease. The story takes Haoyou from his determined efforts to prevent the evil first mate from marrying his beautiful mother to his joining a traveling circus as a kite rider, mastering his father's tragedy as he himself flies skyward into what the circus-goers take to be the spirit world. Eventually the circus reaches the court of the Kublai Khan, evoked here in splendor and awe. While Haoyou never becomes as compelling a character as those around him—a spirit medium cousin, the circus master, Kublai Khan—McCaughrean offers more than enough adventure, plot twists and exotic scenery to keep the audience fully engrossed. Ages 12-up.
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