Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze

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Summary: this book is a hard to put down one
Review: This book shows the historical facts of the life of the chinese people during the ship from dynasties to natnalism to communism.

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Summary: A beautiful, well-written book that teaches "values"
Review: This book was so interesting from the cultural as well as human point of view. It is a great book for children as well as adults to read. It can serve as a point of departure for discussions on such things as what is right and wrong -- the little boy is always faced with difficult decisions to make, and what are some differences with the way people live in other countries. This book shows what is "good" by example, yet it is charming and delightful to read.

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Summary: Life in China in the 1920s.
Review: This book won the 1933 Newbery Medal for best contribution to American children's literature. It is the story of five years in the life of a young Chinese boy, begining at age thirteen. He and his mother, following the death of his father, travel to the city of Chungking (now, Chongqing) where he is to be an apprentice to Tang the coppersmith. This book is a vivid and well-presented account of life in central China in the 1920s and young students can use the book as a starting point to the study of twentieth-century China. The author (1892-1958) lived in China for several years, holding a number of teaching posts. An interesting approach was used at a local school. After reading this book, the following school year (6th grade!), the students read Pearl Buck's "The Good Earth."

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Summary: Very good, but hard to start
Review: This is a very good book, but the style is very different. It sounds a bit like Yoda the whole time. The story is about a 13 year old boy who has to leave his home in the country and go to the city to be an apprentice with the copper and brass master, Tang.

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Summary: Great Book For Readers
Review: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze is a wonderful book that I could continue reading a long time. The literature provided by Elizabeth Foreman is rich with interesting characters and a lush background. It seems like you want to get inside of the book and find out what's going on in their heads. The story is set in 1920's China after the Empress dies. There is turmoil and mayhem. Looting and theivery is expected every day. Corrupt soldiers wander the streets looking for an unexpected peasant to push around. Fu is a young boy from the countryside who has come to the city after his father dies. Fu Be Be is Young Fu's mother and she is wary about moving to the dangerous and exhilarating life of the city. Fu is an apprentice to a craftsman named Tang. Immediately Fu is thrust into a whirlwind of responsibility and he shows his soft side. Many obstacles are thrown his way, but he always keeps his humanity intact. When an American woman needs help from a burning building, Fu pushes aside the tales of them and how they can inflict evil upon contact. To see an Chinese book being written by an American is refreshing for the mind.