Scan barcode
tiffanywang29's review against another edition
2.0
It's okay. Like, I get it and stuff, but it's not great. The end is kind of weird, but it's happy. Of course, there will actually be many bad things, but right now, it's good.
jwinchell's review
4.0
Slow to start, this book really picked up and was very engaging. It's literary--high quality prose. I love historical fiction, and this book helped me get a sense for early 1900s San Francisco--Chinatown, the earthquake of 1906, the life & work of Chinese immigrants. It's very much about discrimination and finding a way in the xenophobia and racism of white America. The main character, Moon Shadow, ranges from 8 to 15 in this book, but he always feels like a young boy.
libreroaming's review
4.0
"Dragonwings" is part five of Laurence Yep's historical fiction series of the Golden Mountain Chronicles, but they are all stand alones. It follows the journey of Moon Shadow as he arrives in San Francisco to join his father, a man he knew only through second-hand accounts and letters. Yep chooses to keep readers in a Chinese speaking mindset, italicizing any conversations English to mark them as different and preferring to let the names reflect their meaning in the native language rather than phonetic accuracy. It is a deft touch of cultural awareness that doesn't age it as much as other culturally focused children's novels.
The plot itself is more a series of ups and downs than a tautly paced narrative. In fact, the titular theme of "Dragonwings," that of a Chinese man who learns to build a flying machine, shows up sporadically and only takes center stage at the end of the novel. Still, while the pacing makes it easy to pick up and put down, the writing of events is worth following. I found the most rewarding chapters featured how Moon Shadow and his father's developing friendship with Mrs. Whitlaw and her granddaughter, Robin.
Recommended to give to children who are interested in historical fiction first and foremost, Laurence Yep has plenty of other Asian American representation books that satisfy contemporary readers. If they are reluctant to read books without cliffhangers, the episodic narrative may be a turn off even though there is a chapter on the San Francisco earthquake and its aftermath, it comes in late in the novel.
The plot itself is more a series of ups and downs than a tautly paced narrative. In fact, the titular theme of "Dragonwings," that of a Chinese man who learns to build a flying machine, shows up sporadically and only takes center stage at the end of the novel. Still, while the pacing makes it easy to pick up and put down, the writing of events is worth following. I found the most rewarding chapters featured how Moon Shadow and his father's developing friendship with Mrs. Whitlaw and her granddaughter, Robin.
Recommended to give to children who are interested in historical fiction first and foremost, Laurence Yep has plenty of other Asian American representation books that satisfy contemporary readers. If they are reluctant to read books without cliffhangers, the episodic narrative may be a turn off even though there is a chapter on the San Francisco earthquake and its aftermath, it comes in late in the novel.
gbabmb's review
adventurous
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
atmorrell's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe it's because I was assigned to read the play version (only about 50 pages long), but I didn't find this story particularly interesting or fascinating. Moon Shadow is a young Chinese boy who leaves his mother behind in China to join his father and uncle in 1920s San Francisco. His father has a dream of creating an airplane like the Wright Brothers so that he can be a dragon again, like he once was in a past life. Despite the many hardships they face as immigrants in a hostile and racist California, Moon Shadow and his father work together to create a flying machine. While this is going on, Moon Shadow's cousin, Black Dog, falls into crime and drugs. All of this felt like build-up for a bigger, more cathartic pay off, but in the end it fell flat. I didn't feel... well, anything, because I felt like nothing really happened. I'm curious if the novel version would be more interesting, but this play was just boring.
typesetjez's review
3.0
It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I did, I learned quite a bit about Chinese immigrants in the 19th century. I first found the term "devils" to be a little off-putting, but upon further reading discovered this was a pretty widely used term for the time. Additionally, this works well as historical fiction, taking a man of whom little is known and bringing his story to life, not just detailing the history of flying machines, but the cultural history of a people. The part I most enjoyed reading was the earthquake and at first I wished the story would have focused on this instead, but it was more important to highlight the flying machines, as it tied in with the father's beliefs. I would certainly recommend this to readers looking for a multicultural book, although I'd be more inclined to lend to middle schoolers than to young adults.
niadlp's review
3.0
This book is good. If you read it you will probably think it is boring in the beginning (I did) but it is good.
megtk_01's review against another edition
3.0
Dragonwings
Laurence Yep
Scholastic Inc., 1975
ISBN:0-590-43450-0
Laurence Yep gives us Moon Shadow, a wonderfully written character who guides us through his journey to America at the turn of the twentieth century and the seven years after as he struggles to understand the ways of American. Dragonwings introduces to Moon Shadow when he still lives in China with his mother and grandmother while they wait for their father who has traveled to the “demon land” in order to earn money and send it back to them. One day Moon Shadow learns he will travel with a family friend and meet his father in this strange land. In America he learns about the evils that many of the Tang people have fallen under in this strange new place. He also learns about the good that the “demons” can bring with them as he and his father meet new people and work towards their dream of building a flying machine. Eventually they must strike out alone as their family believes their dream of building Dragonwings is foolish.
Although a historical fiction novel that paints a picture of how life was for Chinese immigrants at this time, this story is more about dreams and not giving up on them than just about the events that happen to the characters. It shows us how Moon Shadow and his father grow together as they depend upon one another, but it also shows the pair learning to trust others—even those they have been taught not to trust.
The Americans are painted as evil creatures who make silly decisions and have no idea of the truth towards the beginning of the novel. This is how Moon Shadow has learned to understand them based on the way his people describe them, but also based on the way he and the other Tang people are treated by Americans. We see the danger for the Tang people in simply walking the streets in demon villages, and the manner in which they’re spoken to by Americans. During a disaster, they are made to leave safe ground and travel each day while officials decide what to do with them, while the Americans stay put and given rations. Moon Shadow also meets “demons” who are kind and helpful and truly interested in what he and his father have to say. It is through his father’s open-mindedness and encouragement that Moon Shadow begins to understand that good and evil are spread throughout the world and not concentrated within one group of people.
I enjoyed this novel, but I it was a rather slow read. I found myself skimming some parts just to keep things going. Even though it spans seven years, I found myself just waiting to see what was going to happen and being frustrated with description or narrative that didn’t seem to move it forward enough for me. The characters were well formed for the most part, though, and I even felt that one of the evil characters was full enough for us to understand the hatred within him. It was enough to feel sorry for this character, just as Moon Shadow comes to feel.
Overall this is a great historical fiction that I did enjoy, but I find it difficult to give it more than three stars because it was difficult to get through. I recommend this for readers who enjoy good historical fiction and stories about hope, because if there is one thing that Moon Shadow has throughout this story, it’s hope.
Laurence Yep
Scholastic Inc., 1975
ISBN:0-590-43450-0
Laurence Yep gives us Moon Shadow, a wonderfully written character who guides us through his journey to America at the turn of the twentieth century and the seven years after as he struggles to understand the ways of American. Dragonwings introduces to Moon Shadow when he still lives in China with his mother and grandmother while they wait for their father who has traveled to the “demon land” in order to earn money and send it back to them. One day Moon Shadow learns he will travel with a family friend and meet his father in this strange land. In America he learns about the evils that many of the Tang people have fallen under in this strange new place. He also learns about the good that the “demons” can bring with them as he and his father meet new people and work towards their dream of building a flying machine. Eventually they must strike out alone as their family believes their dream of building Dragonwings is foolish.
Although a historical fiction novel that paints a picture of how life was for Chinese immigrants at this time, this story is more about dreams and not giving up on them than just about the events that happen to the characters. It shows us how Moon Shadow and his father grow together as they depend upon one another, but it also shows the pair learning to trust others—even those they have been taught not to trust.
The Americans are painted as evil creatures who make silly decisions and have no idea of the truth towards the beginning of the novel. This is how Moon Shadow has learned to understand them based on the way his people describe them, but also based on the way he and the other Tang people are treated by Americans. We see the danger for the Tang people in simply walking the streets in demon villages, and the manner in which they’re spoken to by Americans. During a disaster, they are made to leave safe ground and travel each day while officials decide what to do with them, while the Americans stay put and given rations. Moon Shadow also meets “demons” who are kind and helpful and truly interested in what he and his father have to say. It is through his father’s open-mindedness and encouragement that Moon Shadow begins to understand that good and evil are spread throughout the world and not concentrated within one group of people.
I enjoyed this novel, but I it was a rather slow read. I found myself skimming some parts just to keep things going. Even though it spans seven years, I found myself just waiting to see what was going to happen and being frustrated with description or narrative that didn’t seem to move it forward enough for me. The characters were well formed for the most part, though, and I even felt that one of the evil characters was full enough for us to understand the hatred within him. It was enough to feel sorry for this character, just as Moon Shadow comes to feel.
Overall this is a great historical fiction that I did enjoy, but I find it difficult to give it more than three stars because it was difficult to get through. I recommend this for readers who enjoy good historical fiction and stories about hope, because if there is one thing that Moon Shadow has throughout this story, it’s hope.
accioemilia's review
3.0
The beginning sucked but I liked the end. My male students are going to love this, I think.