by Gillian Engberg
Writers of historical fiction for youth face a difficult balancing act: they must tell a captivating story while giving enough cultural background to make an often-unknown time understandable. The titles below, reviewed in Booklist during the last five years, admirably combine historical particulars with exciting stories that will transport readers around the globe. All feature Asian or Asian American characters, reflecting an encouraging number of recent youth books with Asian themes. Whether the stories are set in thirteenth-century China or 1970s Seattle, readers will gain a new understanding of Asian history and culture, as they find themselves in the characters’ timeless emotions and experiences.
Chen, Da. Wandering Warrior. 2003. Delacorte, $15.95 (0-385-73020-9).
Gr. 8–12. In a mythical Chinese past, 12-year-old Luka learns that he bears the prophesied mark of a future emperor. Exciting martial arts combat interweaves with Chinese folklore, magic, and philosophy in richly described scenes that move Luka along his destined journey.
Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. Neela: Victory Song. 2002. Pleasant Company/AmericanGirl, $12.95 (1-58485-597-5).
Gr. 5–8. A 12-year-old girl is caught up in India’s fight for independence while searching for her father in this well-paced, exciting novel supported with precise historical and cultural information. Part of the Girls of Many Lands series.
Hoobler, Dorothy and Hoobler, Thomas. The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn. 1999. Putnam/Philomel, $17.99 (0-399-23330-X).
Gr. 6–12. A 14-year-old boy in Shogun Japan dreams of being a samurai. After he witnesses a theft, he becomes involved in a wild plot that’s part ghost story, part crime mystery and that teaches him about Kabuki theater as well as the world of the samurais. Vivid details of the era blend seamlessly with intrigue and acrobatic swordplay. The Demon in the Teahouse (2001) continues the story.
McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Kite Rider. 2002. HarperCollins, $15.95 (0-06-623874-9).
Gr. 6–9. In 1281, just after China has come under Mongol rule, 12-year-old Haoyou tries to rescue his newly widowed mother from a terrifying marriage by becoming a ship’s “wind tester.” His scheme and the resulting exploits make for a spellbinding story that is immersed in ancient Chinese culture and folklore.
Mochizuki, Ken. Beacon Hill Boys. 2002. Scholastic, $16.95 (0-439-26749-8).
Gr. 9-12. Set in Seattle’s racially mixed Beacon Hill neighborhood in the turbulent 1970s, this thought-provoking novel follows Dan, a Japanese American teenager, through common male high-school experiences and his involvement as a young activist for Asian American rights. A funny, poignant novel that raises important questions about cultural identity.
Namioka, Lensey. An Ocean Apart, a World Away. 2002. Delacorte, $15.95 (0-385-73002-0).
Gr. 7–10. Namioka’s realistic novel, set in the 1920s, focuses on 16-year-old Yanyan, who, yearning for independence from her privileged family in Nanjing, China, travels to the U.S., where she can pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. She encounters prejudice not only as an Asian but also as a woman interested in the sciences. A moving coming-of-age story that explores the different sides of prejudice.
Park, Linda Sue. A Single Shard. 2001. Clarion, $15 (0-395-97827-0).
Gr. 4–8. In this Newbery Award–winning novel, Young Tree-ear is an apprentice in twelfth-century Korea to a master potter, who entrusts him with the delivery of precious works. The story of Tree-ear’s journey makes for a quietly thrilling, graceful novel, that balances rich period details with timeless experiences—hunger, shame, fear, love, and pride.
Russell, Ching Yeung. Child Bride. 1999. illus. Boyds Mills, $15.95 (1-56397-748-6).
Gr. 4–7. In 1940s China, 11-year-old Ying learns that she must leave her home near Canton for an arranged marriage. When she tries to flee, she is captured and brought to her in-laws. The surprise is her gentle bridegroom, who gives her freedom of sorts. In a suspenseful narrative, filled with cultural and historical facts, Ying tells an engrossing story of family loyalty and fierce determination.
Scieszka, Jon. Sam Samurai. Illus. by Adam McCauley. 2001. Viking, $14.99 (0-670-89915-1).
Gr. 4–6. While writing haikus for a school assignment, Joe, Sam, and Fred, a.k.a. the Time Warp trio, are thrown back to seventeenth-century Japan, where they tussle with samurais and try to find their way home. Period details mix with hilarious anachronisms in a story that is fast and fun, just like the series’ other titles.
Whitesel, Cheryl Aylward. Rebel: A Tibetan Odyssey. 2000. HarperCollins, $15.95 (0-688-16735-7).
Gr. 6–8. At the turn of the twentieth century, young Thunder finds himself at a Buddhist monastery where his uncle is an important lama. Whitesel’s story combines political intrigue, spirituality, and friendship in challenging, atmospheric language that includes many Tibetan words. The action and clearly drawn setting will easily sweep readers along.
Wilson, Diane Lee. I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade. 1998. 240p. Orchard, $17.95 (0-531-30024-2).
Gr. 6–10. Framed as a story-within-a-story, this gripping horse adventure is set during the height of the Mongolian empire. In memories recounted to her granddaughter, Oyuna describes her incredible youth, which includes a meeting with Kublai Khan. Amulets and other fantasy elements blend with period details that will keep readers flying through the pages.
Yee, Paul. Tales from Gold Mountain. Illus. by Simon Ng. 1999. Douglas & McIntyre/Groundwood, $18.95 (0-88899-098-7).
Gr. 5–8. Yee explores Chinese immigrants’ experiences in North America in these eight lyrical, unsettling stories that explore the pain and freedom of leaving home behind. Ng’s bold, full-page paintings enhance the stories’ intensity.
Yep, Laurence. The Traitor. 2003. HarperCollins, $16.99 (0-06-027522-7).
Gr. 5–8. In this eighth volume in Yep’s Golden Mountain Chronicles, two boys narrate this story about tensions between Chinese and American coal miners in Wyoming Territory in 1885. In alternating chapters, they chronicle their unusual friendship as well as the violence and prejudice of the times. An afterword offers more historical background to this fast-paced, intimate read.
(Booklist/May 15, 2003)