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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I wanted to like or care about the characters more than I did, but I did get a picture of what the desert was like and what traveling on the Silk Road was like. That was the reason I first picked up the book so I wasn't disappointed.
I got this book from Netgalley, and picked it out because it looked like the kind of book I could learn a whole lot from. I was obsessed with Daughter of the Mountains for a while as a kid, and hoped that Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan would provide a similar vibrant, multi-faceted exploration of long-ago places and customs.
The premise is somewhat similar -- Chengli leaves the only place he has ever known in search of his father, rather than a stolen dog -- but the journey along the Silk Road holds plenty of interest. Chengli would have needed a little more detail, a little slower pace, and more heart to be just as good as Daughter of the Mountains, but I still wholly enjoyed it!
The premise is somewhat similar -- Chengli leaves the only place he has ever known in search of his father, rather than a stolen dog -- but the journey along the Silk Road holds plenty of interest. Chengli would have needed a little more detail, a little slower pace, and more heart to be just as good as Daughter of the Mountains, but I still wholly enjoyed it!
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I enjoyed the story but I wish it had either been shorter or moved quicker. It touches in some important themes, and exposes younger readers to a time and culture they may be unfamiliar with. Good read overall.
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
Thank you to #NetGalley for this free book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a quick easy read. Gives some great descriptions of the way life was on the silk caravans. And how difficult it was. Even for a 13 year old. Especially, for a young man not yet grown into an adult body. Chengli is a very likeable character. He makes the book easy to want to read on. You just want to keep reading to see how he makes out in the end as well as how the princess is in the end as well.
3.5⭐enjoyable.
This book is a quick easy read. Gives some great descriptions of the way life was on the silk caravans. And how difficult it was. Even for a 13 year old. Especially, for a young man not yet grown into an adult body. Chengli is a very likeable character. He makes the book easy to want to read on. You just want to keep reading to see how he makes out in the end as well as how the princess is in the end as well.
3.5⭐enjoyable.
A book about a young orphaned boy in medieval China decided to go with a caravan west on the Silk Road in search of anything he can find out about his father, who had been an Imperial Inspector (who had been murdered by bandits). He has adventures, meets many peoples, learns to ride a horse from Khazaks, saves a princess, etc. Fun story - historical fiction, but well researched . . .
adventurous
informative
tense
fast-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
A surprisingly good read. Many chapters have weeks of time between them, leading to a very quick reading experience while still expressing the passage of time fairly well. Because of this, character development is incredibly quick, with impactful moments happening nearly every chapter. The theme of family (found and otherwise) is heavily touched upon throughout the relationships that many characters have with their parents and community, while fate still seems to have an important place in the story (why the emphasis on him being his father's son [for example, with the horse riding] if he eventually realizes that found family is more important?) .
It's a book for middle grade readers; at the end of the day, it has a very easy to follow plot with lots of intrigue, suspense, and adventure. It's a very useful text in my sixth grade classroom for talking about author decision-making as well, considering the amount of historical references, glossary, and poems included at the end of the book.
It's a book for middle grade readers; at the end of the day, it has a very easy to follow plot with lots of intrigue, suspense, and adventure. It's a very useful text in my sixth grade classroom for talking about author decision-making as well, considering the amount of historical references, glossary, and poems included at the end of the book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail
The adult/minor relationship is purely implied, considering the 12/13-year-old Princess's entire goal is to get to Kashgar in order to be married to a king.
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Chau Chengli works as a peasant boy for a silk road merchant in a trading city, but he is tormented by the desert winds, which only he can feel. Finally, he decides to go on. a quest to find out what happened to his missing father, an important and highly respected member of the government who has disappeared. He believes his father is dead, but is he? Who was his father? As he sets off on his quest, he encounters new people, dangers, a princess, and learns about both his father and himself. It is an excellent story set in ancient China, the Middle Kingdom, and the silk road trading routes. Enticing details of different cultures are explored as we follow Chengli on his mission to discover what happened to his dad. Excellent read, highly recommended!