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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
This is a story of Mulan as a child, long before the fabled tale of her saving the Emperor & empire. The word tomboy was not used but she was obviously not the typically gentle girl child everyone expected. She loves to kick balls with boys and she runs and barges into rooms, she has broken many things accidentally and exasperated her parents to no end. Yet she is loved & most particularly by her younger sister, Xiu, who is the typical gentle girl child beloved by all. They are as close as sisters can be. The beginning of this story, however, sees Xiu bitten by a spider and she fell into a coma. The ingredients needed for to cure her, however, are far away and they have less than a month to bring it back. Thus begins Mulan's adventure as she helps the Jade Rabbit to procure these ingredients.
I loved this story. I read it out loud to my boys and they enjoyed it just as much. I identified so much with Mulan -being told many times to be gentle all my life. I loved how the author incorporates other mythical / historical tales into this story and such beautiful descriptive prose! She did not stint on the language front either with many many-syllable words used throughout (yes, I did struggle a little as I was reading out loud). Mulan: Before the Sword is a magical adventure wherein one girl finds her weakness is truly her strength.
I loved this story. I read it out loud to my boys and they enjoyed it just as much. I identified so much with Mulan -being told many times to be gentle all my life. I loved how the author incorporates other mythical / historical tales into this story and such beautiful descriptive prose! She did not stint on the language front either with many many-syllable words used throughout (yes, I did struggle a little as I was reading out loud). Mulan: Before the Sword is a magical adventure wherein one girl finds her weakness is truly her strength.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Fun and interesting story about Mulan and how it leads into the 2020 movie adaptation. Grace Lin did a great job with this story!!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
New story based on existing folklore. Hopefully I'll write a more detailed review. Might have missed some of the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Grief
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent middle grade book of course. Grace Lin is a fantastic writer, lots of sentences and passages would be great mentor texts for elementary school writers.
DNF@ 5%
I was just not the audience for this
I was just not the audience for this
Middle grade fantasy/ mythology. This story is a prequel to the Mulan tale. Mulan's sister is bitten by a nine-legged spider and Mulan goes out to get the healer. The healer comes and enchants everyone into a deep sleep, except for Mulan (apparently her sinus congestion prevented her from breathing in the magical vapors). The healer and Mulan set off to find the cure for the spider's venom, which consists of Dragon Beard Grass and a blossom of the Essence of Heavenly Majesty. As the names imply, these are not ingredients that can be found in the average market, so a quest ensues. However, the evil spirit Daji (the nine-tailed fox who also shape-shifts into things like a nine-legged spider) is intent on thwarting their progress.
It took me a little while to get into, mainly because I am not as familiar with Chinese mythology as I am with Greek mythology. But I enjoyed seeing the characteristics of Mulan that I recognized, such as her persistence, clumsiness, and good heart. I did find myself singing the song from the animated version "Please bring honor to us" whenever Mulan mentioned wanting to bring honor to her family. I enjoyed learning more about the Chinese mythology and folklore through the story. It kept my attention waiting to see how Mulan would get out of Daji's latest trap, and the ending was very satisfying.
It took me a little while to get into, mainly because I am not as familiar with Chinese mythology as I am with Greek mythology. But I enjoyed seeing the characteristics of Mulan that I recognized, such as her persistence, clumsiness, and good heart. I did find myself singing the song from the animated version "Please bring honor to us" whenever Mulan mentioned wanting to bring honor to her family. I enjoyed learning more about the Chinese mythology and folklore through the story. It kept my attention waiting to see how Mulan would get out of Daji's latest trap, and the ending was very satisfying.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes