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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m always a sucker for stories that are built around the importance of stories. If my protagonist is sometimes known as “the storyteller’s granddaughter”, that’s a winning sign.
That said, this was a beautiful, warm tale. A fairy tale, interspersed with fairy tales, from a Chinese (?) angle bringing novelty (I don’t know whether the stories are original or drawn from traditional folktales, and the fact I can’t tell speaks plenty) alongside the satisfaction of a well crafted novel.
The ending was fractionally more heavy handed than I’d prefer, but this is for a child audience, and in keeping with fairy tale traditions, so it’s mild criticism at most.
The unfortunate impact of listening to an audiobook through the library is I didn’t get to view the illustrations, so if you have the chance, please cherish them on my behalf.
That said, this was a beautiful, warm tale. A fairy tale, interspersed with fairy tales, from a Chinese (?) angle bringing novelty (I don’t know whether the stories are original or drawn from traditional folktales, and the fact I can’t tell speaks plenty) alongside the satisfaction of a well crafted novel.
The ending was fractionally more heavy handed than I’d prefer, but this is for a child audience, and in keeping with fairy tale traditions, so it’s mild criticism at most.
The unfortunate impact of listening to an audiobook through the library is I didn’t get to view the illustrations, so if you have the chance, please cherish them on my behalf.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Ableism, Confinement, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Classism
I loved this book! It is beautifully written, with an intricate weaving of small-stories told within the larger plot. It was a joy to read.
However, I was extremely surprised to see it is an OBOB book this year. I would recommend it only to the most advanced students. I think it truly better suits a middle and high school reader, because of it's subtlety, advanced vocabulary, and complex sentence structures. I also think the pacing does not suit 3-5th graders very well. Honestly, I could envision teaching an 8th grade honors literature unit around this text there is so much depth to it. I highly recommend it, but not to most elementary students.
However, I was extremely surprised to see it is an OBOB book this year. I would recommend it only to the most advanced students. I think it truly better suits a middle and high school reader, because of it's subtlety, advanced vocabulary, and complex sentence structures. I also think the pacing does not suit 3-5th graders very well. Honestly, I could envision teaching an 8th grade honors literature unit around this text there is so much depth to it. I highly recommend it, but not to most elementary students.
“Immortality is a gift that has to be given.”
I loved the story and stories within this story. Grace Lin's writing is captivating and pulls you right into the story,
I love the mythical, fable-like characters that are mentioned in here and how everything is woven together to create the story around Rin - the granddaughter of the Storyteller. The only thing I wish was a bit more character development on the main characters part.
I would love to read more chinese and japanese fairy-tale and folklore-inspired books.
I loved the story and stories within this story. Grace Lin's writing is captivating and pulls you right into the story,
I love the mythical, fable-like characters that are mentioned in here and how everything is woven together to create the story around Rin - the granddaughter of the Storyteller. The only thing I wish was a bit more character development on the main characters part.
I would love to read more chinese and japanese fairy-tale and folklore-inspired books.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved the folklore interwoven throughout. A true testament to the power of stories. This book begs to be read aloud.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I listened to this on audio, which had a lovely reader, but I wasn't able to listen in big chunks, so I found it difficult to follow. The main plot kept pausing for other shorter stories. These shorter stories end up being both relevant and tying nicely together, but it does make the reading a bit challenging.
Favorite part: the villain is a greedy politician who thinks that building a wall will help him contain the source of his power. Ha.
Favorite part: the villain is a greedy politician who thinks that building a wall will help him contain the source of his power. Ha.