Rating: 
Summary: The beauty of dragons
Review: Although Dragonwings in not a riveting page-turner, especially in the beginning, it is a beautifully written story that provides a thoughtful look into the lives of Chinese-Americans. It is based on the first flight of a Chinese-America in 1909, but since the details of his life are sparse, Yep characterizes this book more as historical fantasy. It is also, however, included in the Asian multi-cultural genre because of the description about the Chinese-Americans in early 20th century San Francisco. Moon Shadow, the main character and narrator, travels across the ocean from China to meet and live with the father he has never met. While in America, Moon Shadow eventually learns how to speak and write English as he helps his father and other relatives in their laundry company. He discovers firsthand the cruelty of prejudice and the importance of family ties in surviving difficult situations. Gradually, as he comes to know and respect his father, he learns of his father's dream to fly- to make Dragonwings- because of his belief that he was once a great Dragon healer. This book traces the lives of Moon Shadow and his father as they work to reach their goal-and make friends with two American "demons"-while it simultaneously conveys to the American reader the Chinese people's sense of loyalty, determined work ethic, and persevering strength. Yep also integrates many Chinese myths or legends (such as their perception of dragons) to give readers a better understanding of an unfamiliar culture. This book is both interesting to read and important as a multi-cultural novel for young adults. I recommend it to anyone who has ever aspired to do something that everyone else said was unattainable
Rating:
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.
Rating: 
Summary: Dragonwings Q3 Book Project
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.
Rating:
Summary: Dragonwings
Review: During the Tang period, a Chinese boy named Moon Shadow immigrates to America. He meets and lives with his father, Windrider, who is an absolute genius. Windrider is said to have encountered a dragon, who instructs him to pass several tasks in order to be reincarnated as a dragon. Inspired, both father and son build a flying machine, and, with some help from their Chinese company and two good, American friends, they fly the plane, thinking that this is one of the tasks needed to be fulfilled for the dragon. In the end, however, the flying machine breaks apart, but Windrider decides not to work on it ever again. Somehow, the whole experience seems to bring everyone together again. Even Moon Shadow raises enough money for his mother to join them in America.
I greatly enjoyed this book very much. The detailed description made it sound like I was in the book. It was easy to read, and I did not have much difficulty trying to figure out the main point of the story. I saw that the book had a well-thought-out plot, because it all fitted together nicely. The cover was quite interesting.
The part of the book I enjoyed reading was when Windrider flew his huge flying machine outside against the strong winds. The book described it so well, I thought I was flying myself! When Windrider finally crash-landed, I could not tell whether I really did experience it or not. Laurence Yep is quite an amazing writer. Overall, I know that this book will always be one that I would greatly enjoy reading once more.
Rating:
Summary: READ ALL ABOUT DRAGONWINGS
Review: I am writing and expressing my feelings about what I thought about the story Dragonwings. Dragonwings to me was very exciting towards the middle and end, only because that was when all the action started to begin. To me, in the begining, it was boring because it just talked about Moonshadow, the main character. He moved to live with his father in Gold Mountain, San Francisco. When Moonshadow had moved to San Francisco that was when all the action started having to deal with him and his father working with the Company it was really like a family company tradition. When I first look at this book I was thinking that it was just a waste of my time I don't need to read this, but as I read it I got more and more into it. My favorite character was Moonshadow because he stood up for himself instead of letting some drug-addict let him talk to him about doing the bad things instead of the good things.
I think that who ever read this enjoy this and have as much fun I had reading it. I kind of started off with a bad impression of this book, but I really enjoyed it.
*PEACE*
From someone special..........
Rating:
Summary: I recomend to read this book
Review: I really enjoyed reading "Dragonwings", the Laurence Yep novel, even though he use a lot of Chinese stereotypes, and some themes are related to opium consume, and prostitution. It is still a very good book for every age, because these themes are touching just by the side. And he doesn't encourage anybody to consume drugs or to be a prostitute in his book. It is amazing how Yep made up a fantastic story based on one fact about a Chinese immigrant who build a biplane, fact that he had read in a newspaper. It is very interesting to know how a child from China had seeing America and American People. In my opinion the most important thing in this novel is the worth that the author concedes to the family issue, because he states that the family values are very important. Family is always present from the beginning to the end. Family is the opening, the body, and the end of this novel
Rating:
Summary: I want to get away, I want to fly away
Review: No one melds fact and myth into seamless storylines of historical fiction quite like Lawrence Yep. Like many of his tales, the remarkable, "Dragonwings", reflects on the Chinese experience in America. Says Yep in his author's note, "I have tried to make some of these dry historical facts become living experiences". The result is a book that certain kids will grow attached to and respect. Admittedly, it is not a book for all children, but for what it offers it is an impressive work.
The plot follows Moon Shadow, a boy sent from his native China to live with his father in the Land of the Gold Mountains a.k.a San Francisco in 1903. While there, Moon Shadow learns a great deal about the ways the white settlers (referred to in this text, without exception, as demons) reacted to the Chinese in California. Yep does not play down the characters' difficulties, but Moon Shadow and his father, Windrider, learn the ways in which they may live their lives acceptably. They befriend their white employers, survive the great San Francisco earthquake, and finally Windrider follows his dream of making a flying machine just as the Wright Brothers did. This portion of the book is based on the true story of a Chinese immigrant that on September 22, 1909 flew from the hills of Oakland, California. As Yep points out in his author's note, this book is a historical fantasy and not an actual factual construction. Nonetheless, Windrider's quest is such that you feel just as caught up in the excitement of the moment as he is when at last he is able to test his creation.
What is so impressive about Lawrence Yep's writing is how he accepts that there are no hard and fast rules about the ways in which people act and react. The Chinese are constantly set upon by the white majority, yet there are good Tang people and bad Tang people just as there are good whites and bad whites. The sentence that really drilled this home for me was one referring to a white female friend Moon Shadow and his father made the acquaintance of. Miss Whitlaw befriends our heroes, as well as the patriarch of their company, referred to mostly as "Uncle". The section I love reads, "I won't say that Miss Whitlaw and Uncle became the best of friends, but they came to like each other as much as two such difference people could". To me, this is an eloquent description of how two people from remarkably different backgrounds can become close without ever reaching the closeness that comes from being with someone like yourself.
So here's the real test of this book; Do kids actually like reading it? Published originally in 1975, I remember hearing about this story when I was in elementary school. And, admittedly, I never so much as picked it up. For those kids that do glance through it, or are assigned it in school, what is their reaction? Honestly, I thought the book began rather slowly. Yep is introducing his subject honestly and with tact and feeling, all of which make the beginning a small slog for the average child reader. Those kids that stick with it, however, will find fights, natural disasters, and attempted throat slittings galore. To my mind, Yep's "Child of the Owl" is a lot more kid friendly than the well-written but ultimately measured "Dragonwings". So if I were to give a child I knew a good, if more contemporary, book reflecting the experiences of Chinese-Americans, I'd probably offer them the former. None of this is to say that there aren't children out there that consider "Dragonwings" to be their favorite book ever. I just suspect they are a minority.
In the end, "Dragonwings" has won more awards and garnered more praise than I think Lawrence Yep could have ever hoped for. It is a fine noble creation and well deserves the attention it has received. Whether kids will ever willingly open its pages is open to debate, but it is definitely a fascinating look into the lives of a people that could well have remained unknown but for the superb prose and experienced writing of one of the finest American writers of our day and age.
Rating:
Summary: Dragon Wings
Review: This book is about a white boy who learns to fly kites using a stick and a paper. HE learns thet white people are the best and christians are not bad.
Rating: 
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.
Rating: 
Summary: illustrates varities of themes.
Review: This book, Dragonwings, is full of emotions, including sadness,happiness, fighting, suffering, perseverance, dream, and comedy. It expresses some stereotypes about americans ,and it also points out the good relationship between Chinese immigrants and Americans. The main theme mentions about one Chinese immigrant, who had left his family to work in Demon land. He was full of dreams ,and he believed that he was a dargon in the past life. He tried to construct his dream to become true with builted glider and plane. He wish to fly as a dragon. However, finally, he had knew that nothing was more important than his family. I can learn the ideas of different culture that help me open my mind widely.I like this book. It is useful to read it- good novle.
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