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Summary: A book of the Chinese Americans, through a young boy's eyes
Review: This book has an amazing amount of information about what the Chinese went throught to get to the USA and then how they were treated once they arrived. Lawence Yep really brings the charectors alive and makes you feel their pains and thier happieness. The fact that this book is told from the point of view of a young boy, it really gives you a different perspective, then if the book was told as an adult had seen it. I also really enjoyed the ending. There is no clear cut ending, and the reader doesn't know or feel just what will happen to the charectors. Instead the reader is left wtith a sence of hope and wonder. I recomend this book for anyone who is interested in, or studying Chinese immigration to the United States.
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Summary: Does Newberry "honor" profanity?
Review: My 6th grader son was assigned this book to read for a book report. When he said he didn't like it, and why, I thought I would read it for myself. What I found was that I was surprised that a book with profanity won the Newberry Award. The story itself was okay. Although I am totally unfamiliar with the Chinese culture, it did open my eyes to how Chinese immigrants in the early 1900s might have (and probably did) look upon their American counterparts. I did, however, think the characters could have used a little more background, especially in the book's beginning. My main disappointment was with the profanity: it's not what I want my sixth grader reading. Also the mention of prostitution and opium usage was not to my liking - for a 6th grader, mind you - although I know it was factual. Maybe I am "behind the times" in what schools require our children to read, but Dragonwings would not be on my list if I were a Middle School teacher.
So my critique? Good story line, weak characters, weaker language! Average rating at best!
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Summary: Dragonwings is a story about Chinatown told from a boy.
Review: The characters are a strong part. With the eclectic group, Lawrence Yep is able to crack into the crazy mind of any human. The chartacters are spoken about from the main characters point of view (the kid). It's interesting to read an adult writing a novel through a child's eyes when in a foreign land. Since the Chinatown in San Francisco is so vast, the exploration of it is very good. Also when the characters venture out of Chinatown, the obstacles they encounterare quite interesting. The time periods are very odd. Each chapter up till the end is a series of months. While engrossed in the book, you have not a clue of time flying by.This makes it is hard to follow sometimes. Boredom occurs sometimes. Rambling on about a topic leads to mid-chapter naps. Although a good rest, it happens a little to often. Additionally, te dialogues in some spots sound awkward. For the most part,the book Dragonwings, was a good piece of literature with infromation on San Francisco. The weak interchanges are few which makes this a valuable addition to the literature world.
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Summary: powerful, yet weak
Review: I believe the book was written beautifully by the talented, Laurence Yep, but I know it could've been better. A bit more plot and thought into this book would've made this a classic.
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Summary: good
Review: Dragonwings is a powerful book, that I had to do for a novel study. I, at first thought it was ridiculous, but once I got into it, the characters develloped and the plot thickened. It is well written and well discribed. I liked it!
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Summary: Dragonwings is a excellent Middle Level Read
Review: This book was well written and Yep kept using previous information to help you think about what was going on in the present. A very good read for Middle Graders
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Summary: A book that is sure to open your eyes.
Review: Although I was required to read it, I found this book interesting and educating. The author portrays the feelings of the characters so that you yourself can feel what they are going through. I learned a lot from the book about how the Chinese were treated when they first came to America. I did not, however, find it a tedious way to learn. The Chinese, brought to America and made to build the railroads, were treated much like slaves. The book centers around a young boy whose father, whom he has never met, works and lives in America. The boy travels across the ocean, trusting his father's judgement. I learned much about the devasting earthquake in San Francisco, where on that day houses were shaken from their positions, and fires raged through the town. The book shows how badly and rudely the Chinese were treated, and how inconsiderate the Americans were at that time. I really felt for the characters in the book, who were just trying to get along in a strange new land. I really recommend the book for those who either have an interest in history and the Chinese, or those who just want to read a good book
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Summary: I am oppressed by horrible literature.
Review: This book's storyline appeared interesting when I looked at the back of the book and I was eager to read it for the class assignment. Since I am Asian, I know how hard it is to find Asians as the hero/heroine. As I was reading it, many racial comments in the book disturbed me. For example, the words " Ching-Chong Chinaman " came up a few times in the book, provoking my classmates to start staring at me and grin. Of course, I was too busy trying to understand the details, to tell them what they deserved at the time. Details are what make a story a story, but too many details just confuse the reader. Laurence Yep probably wrote this book, imagining what it would be like to be read by a non-asian reader. Even the 1000 times that the word "demon" popped up, seemed to bother me.
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Summary: A Good Book with too many details
Review: To be nice, I'll say Dragonwings was a very touching story. But I was forced to read it, because it was a class assignment. The problem is the : beginning, middle, and end. The beginning made no sense. THe middle just bored me. THe ending left me a few questions... " WHAT? ITS ENDING LIKE THAT? BUT WHAT ABOUT.... " If there was supposed to be a point in this book, either I missed it, or there isnt any except for the fact that Laurence YEp read an article and was so touched by it, he decided to make an horrible, FAKE story out of an INCREDIBLE story about an Asian individual ( Im Asian and I know how hard it is to find stories with Asians as the hero/heroine ) As for the excrutiatingly painfully LONG details, I would bet all my money that Laurence Yep only wrote them to make up for the bad storyline.
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Summary: dragon wings reivew
Review: Dragonwings
By: Laurence Yep
Reviewed by: K. Kim
Period: P.5 Dragonwings by Laurence Yep is a fantastic book. The story revolves around a young Tang Chinese boy named Moon Shadow. He lives with his mother and grandmother in China, while his father works in the "Land of the Demons", which is really the "Land of the Americans". Moon Shadow's father is Windrider. The two have never met each other in the past, but they keep in touch by letters. Moon Shadow remembers his father's wondrous kites, and hopes to see Windrider someday. He finally gets an opportunity to when his cousin Hand Clap visits China from America to announce some surprising news. Windrider requested that his son join him in the land of the demons. At first, Moon Shadow's mother and grandmother object, but Moon Shadow is eventually allowed to go. The Americans are not known for being friendly or kind towards foreigners or even to each other. However, Moon Shadow arrives safely in California and finally meets his father. They get to know each other, and stay within the building of the Company, an organization of Tang men which acts like a guild. They mainly do the demons' laundry for a living in America. Moon Shadow soon learns of his father's lifelong dream of becoming a dragon once again. According to a meaningful dream Windrider once had, he was a dragon in the past with amazing healing powers. However, he disgraced himself and was reborn as a weakling human. Windrider believes that if he achieves flight, he may redeem himself as a dragon. In the company, there is another distant cousin named Black Dog. He was once good, but his life was harsh and he took to opium. He loots for the purpose of buying more drugs. Once, while Moon Shadow was collecting the rents of the Tang residents in the village, Black Dog stole the money bag and left Moon Shadow unconsious. Windrider promptly sought Black Dog out and a showdown took place in the darkest of alleys. Black Dog was defeated and still lived, but his cheating accomplice was killed by Windrider. Windrider and Moon Shadow then had to live someplace else in case people were vindictive and looked for revenge. They stay in a stable that belongs to a kindly "demoness", Ms. Whitlaw. She has a pure soul and a strong heart. Her niece is the same, just a bit boisterous. The four of them become good friends, and help each other through troubles such as the American bullies, a disastrous earthquake, and a wildfire. After the houses of each are burned from the fire, Windrider and Moon Shadow must move once again. The Whitlaws move as well, but all of them keep in touch. Once at their new home, Windrider and his son begin construction on Dragonwings, a flying machine. Windrider's hopes of becoming a dragon are raised as the machine is completed and approved. However, their rent money is stolen by Black Dog. Windrider and Moon Shadow don't have to worry for long, because their friends and the Company back them up with money and even encourage Windrider on his flight attempt. He does fly for a short while, but crashes, breaking a few bones here and there. He awakens to realize that being a dragon wasn't just about having claws or flying. Dragons had big families, so Windrider decides to devote himself to his family.
I first picked this book up because the title had the word "dragon" in it. I thoroughly enjoyed the sections that discussed dragons and their characteristics. I did disagree with some comments in the story, but then I saw that different points of views were acknowledged, and I was pleased. I liked the way the author portrayed how dragons can be good and bad, destructive and kind, or terrible and gentle. In this quote, Moon Shadow presents to Ms. Whitlaw his opinion on dragons: ""Dragon do terrible thing, yes," I said, struggling for the right words. "But dragon, they do good thing, too. Bring rain for crops. They king among all...all reptile. They emperor of all animal.""
I really didn't dislike this book at all. Another one of its high points were the points of view on different cultures. Moon Shadow thinks that American devices and foods are strange while Ms. Whitlaw is interested in how cream and sugar doesn't go into Chinese tea. These small everyday things we have may seem bizarre to others, while their common customs or items may intrigue us. This quote describes a scene where Moon Shadow and Ms. Whitlaw have a chat over tea: "She put water on to boil and then sat down across from me and picked at the tea until she could hold up one of the small white, delicate blossoms. "Isn't that a lovely idea. Flowers in your tea." She got up and returned with a small white thingamabob that had thickened cow's milk in it. Thickened, yet! And it had an oily kind of smell that nearly made me sick." I enjoyed reading over these parts. Having cream described like that was an interesting experience.
My absolute favorite part of the book is where Moon Shadow and Windrider meet Ms. Whitlaw. As I said before, Ms. Whitlaw is a kind, elderly lady who has great honor and a strong spirit. Moon Shadow and Windrider know limited English, so they speak to each other in Chinese, and to the lady in broken English. I was amused at how nervous Moon Shadow was, and when he became slightly bolder his father scolded him in Chinese. Ms. Whitlaw had offered cookies and milk to Moon Shadow, things he had never eaten before. He was disgusted by the milk and claimed that it was "cow's urine". Windrider replied to his son in Chinese, "No, no, stupid. Milk comes from the cow's udders. Now drink it." I had a good time reading that section of the book, because it made me laugh and loosen up a bit.
The book was overall very enjoyable and a great read. I recommend it to anyone who is eager for pages filled with delight.
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