One of Paterson's solemn historical adventures, on a par with her exquisitely evoked Japanese novels, this one set in China in the thick of the Taiping Rebellion. Teenage Wang Lee is kidnapped from his father's humble farm by swinish bandits, then purchased by a kind stranger who turns out to be Mei Lin, a woman, little older than himself, strong and shockingly unwomanly in her large unbound feet. Mei Lin brings him into the secret society of the Heavenly Kingdom and teaches him its Christian-derived, anti-Manchu, class-free doctrines—but it is not until they and their traveling companion Chu have been some time in the society's mountain headquarters, preparing for war with the reigning Demons, that Wang Lee becomes caught up in the Heavenly fervor. By then the males and females have been separated, Mei Lin has become an officer among the horseback Women Warriors, and Wang Lee is in charge of a small group of soldiers. He learns to kill but never overcomes for long the unease at some of the deeds performed in the name of Heavenly peace. He comes to love Mei Lin but she discourages all personal feelings and spouts the dicta of the society. Finally, however, Mei Lin—who in her earlier life had been sold as a slave to satisfy the lusts of soldiers—is summoned to be the bride of the Heavenly King, a man we've seen only from a distance but one who is projected as an absolute monarch as tricky and corrupt as any other. To escape the wedding—in a rather abrupt change of attitude—Mei Lin flees with Wang Lee and the two settle happily to raise a family on his father's land. Before their reunion he's had other adventures, including a period of kitchen service disguised as a girl—a result of being recaptured, when sent out as a spy, by the same bandits who had kidnapped him originally. The pair has also been through a number of battles with the army and imperative celebration within the camp. The whole course of Wang Lee's awakening, disillusionment, and return is set down quite formally, with Paterson's talent for tapestry-like recreations.
Pub Date: June 21, 1983
ISBN: 0888998856
Page Count: 266
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1983
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
In an imaginative wordless picture book, Wiesner (illustrator of Kite Flyer, 1986) tours a dream world suggested by the books and objects in a boy's room. A series of transitions—linked by a map in the book that the boy was reading as he fell asleep—wafts him, pajama-clad, from an aerial view of hedge-bordered fields to a chessboard with chess pieces, some changing into their realistic counterparts (plus a couple of eerie roundheaded figures based on pawns that reappear throughout); next appear a castle; a mysterious wood in which lurks a huge, whimsical dragon; the interior of a neoclassical palace; and a series of fantastic landscapes that eventually transport the boy back to his own bed. Most interesting here are the visual links Wiesner uses in his journey's evolution; it's fun to trace the many details from page to page. There's a bow to Van Allsburg, and another to Sendak's In the Night Kitchen, but Wiesner's broad double-spreads of a dream world—whose muted colors suggest a silent space outside of time—have their own charm. Intriguing.
Pub Date: April 20, 1988
ISBN: 978-0-06-156741-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1988
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