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Rating: 
Summary: A touching adventure story
Review: Gilman hits just the right note of poignancy in this story of a young girl who must use her wits and discover her unique talents to survive the harrowing journey to freedom when her missionary father commits suicide. It is easy to see the world through Gen's eyes as she struggles to determine who are her friends and who are her enemies in a land torn by war. Gilman does very well with the mystical elements, fitting them in so that they mesh with the world she describes to us and seem no less real than the rest of the story.
Rating:
Summary: A touching adventure story
Review: Gilman hits just the right note of poignancy in this story of a young girl who must use her wits and discover her unique talents to survive the harrowing journey to freedom when her missionary father commits suicide. It is easy to see the world through Gen's eyes as she struggles to determine who are her friends and who are her enemies in a land torn by war. Gilman does very well with the mystical elements, fitting them in so that they mesh with the world she describes to us and seem no less real than the rest of the story.
Rating: 
Summary: My favorite Dorothy Gilman book
Review: I've read this book several times, and it never fails to make my skin tingle. First off, I've been to Burma, which doesn't really change, so I relate especially to the setting. Dorothy Gilman usually does a good job with her settings. They are like travelogues -- at least in the places I have also visited. The plot involves a bit of supernatural, and a bit of created supernatural. The feature of the insurgent group, and the Chinese Communist rings true, although the Kuomingtang (nationalist) was more active in the area just after 1949. What I liked best was the interaction between the captives -- how they resolved differences and came to respect each other strengths. Perhaps the puppetmaster made it so. I especially liked the line praising escapist literature. The last reason I appreciate the book is that I spent two weeks of my youth with a sculptor named Genevieve in upstate New York, who reminded me of Gen.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Dorothy Gilman book
Review: I've read this book several times, and it never fails to make my skin tingle. First off, I've been to Burma, which doesn't really change, so I relate especially to the setting. Dorothy Gilman usually does a good job with her settings. They are like travelogues -- at least in the places I have also visited. The plot involves a bit of supernatural, and a bit of created supernatural. The feature of the insurgent group, and the Chinese Communist rings true, although the Kuomingtang (nationalist) was more active in the area just after 1949. What I liked best was the interaction between the captives -- how they resolved differences and came to respect each other strengths. Perhaps the puppetmaster made it so. I especially liked the line praising escapist literature. The last reason I appreciate the book is that I spent two weeks of my youth with a sculptor named Genevieve in upstate New York, who reminded me of Gen.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book for all ages
Review: Those who read Dorothy Gilman's books regularly will be surprised by this one; it's not her usual genre. A child is a prisoner, caught between warring factions. In the camp, her life is made bearable when she is befriended by a wise old man.
When, later, she seeks to find him again, she discovers that...well, I can't reveal what she finds, because it'd give away the magic of the story. It's a bit of Twilight Zone do-do-DO-do music that's called for here.
Quick, easy read - wonderful and compelling book.
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