hannahrose_99's review against another edition
4.0
I read this as I'm assigned to lead a class discussion on it in my children's literature class next week, but I honestly liked this way more than I was expecting to. I wasn't expecting this book to touch on dark topics like opium addiction and racism, but it did and handled them all well. The relationships between the characters in this book were really well developed and beautiful. I wish I'd read this as a kid!
narratedbyrein's review against another edition
2.0
2.5*
I read this book for school. Would I have picked this up on my own? No. This book honestly dragged. A lot. Black dog was my favorite character because he was the only character I related to. The only thing I really liked was the writing style. I did not care about Moon Shadow and his dad and what happened to them throughout the book. Overall, this book dragged and I found it boring at times but I loved the writing style!
I read this book for school. Would I have picked this up on my own? No. This book honestly dragged. A lot. Black dog was my favorite character because he was the only character I related to. The only thing I really liked was the writing style. I did not care about Moon Shadow and his dad and what happened to them throughout the book. Overall, this book dragged and I found it boring at times but I loved the writing style!
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.
atlaslan's review against another edition
2.0
it simply was not my kind of book and ofc i was forced to read it cuz of school soooooo nooooooo.
rijonrtichy's review against another edition
3.0
It was a great read back then but if you don't stop your hobby of reading life will bring you better reads
akramerwdm's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
the_naptime_reader's review
1.0
I had no background on this novel and probably should have done some research before I used it in my classroom, however, I needed a read aloud that dealt with immigration, I saw the Newberry Medal, and figured it had to be pretty good. I didn't feel like some of the topics in the book were appropriate for my 4th graders (brothels, opium dens, etc.) so I ended up having to skip over some things. It is definitely not read aloud material, and at the end of the day, I think we all got bored with it. Needless to say, I couldn't finish it by the end of the year, and saw no point to finish reading it on my own.
squrnky's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-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
3.75