bergha1998's review against another edition
3.0
Princess Redbird has been sent to a neighboring Chinese kingdom to learn about reading & writing. She feels stuck between the cultures of her home & this different society.
khaleesimod93's review
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This story was beautifully told! I adored the descriptions of the forests and the town that Princess Redbird studied in. Due to this story, I want to do more research around the time this story takes place. It's fascinating and gives a completely different viewpoint on colonists. I'm so used to hearing about the European colonists, more specifically the British, that it was interesting reading about Chinease colonists. The Hsien people viewed them as the enemy while the Chinese viewed the Hsien as savages and barbaric. Similar to the way Native Americans were treated and viewed. I absolutely adore Princess Redbirds voice. It was descriptive and concise. She was everything I would want to be as a royal and everything you'd expect out of a princess. Kind and caring, but brave and fierce as well. She wasn't just a demure Princess. She was a warrior. Love the royal diary series for shedding light on such an interesting and less researched time period
emmarj's review against another edition
2.0
Stunted and containing many grammatical errors. One of the most boring of the series so far.
livthebooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
I've probably read this book 15 times. I loved this book so much in middle school. I was obsessed with the chinese culture and I think I need to reread this to get some nostalgic feels
musiquedevie's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderfully written, fascinating story on the Hsien tribe and the Lady of Ch'iao Kuo. Laurence Yep did an excellent job of bring this story to life with his vibrant way of writing. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel with the brilliant characters, the story line and powerful ending. This is definitely my number one pick for the 'Royal Diaries' collection!
lemon_loaf's review against another edition
5.0
Starts off a bit slow, but I enjoyed it when it got interesting.
beammey's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great story! I don't really know a whole lot about China or Chinese history, so this was a lot of fun to read. It was surprisingly long for a book in this series, but worth the read. I found it to be quite inspiring at times. a really good read for girls. 4 out of 5 stars.
wireless_wizard's review against another edition
5.0
I've read several of the books in the "Royal Diaries" series, but this one was, in my opinion, the most well-written one yet.
However, it should be noted that the subject of war and death is touched upon in a little more detail in the second half of this book than is typical of a work of juvenile fiction. This isn't to say that I don't think that this done to an unsuitable level (if anything, I think it strikes just the right balance); but I feel like it's important to keep in mind when recommending the book to young people who might have had traumatic experiences from or associated with war.
However, it should be noted that the subject of war and death is touched upon in a little more detail in the second half of this book than is typical of a work of juvenile fiction. This isn't to say that I don't think that this done to an unsuitable level (if anything, I think it strikes just the right balance); but I feel like it's important to keep in mind when recommending the book to young people who might have had traumatic experiences from or associated with war.
bookishbrooke's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
My favorite so far!!