Arthur A. Levine Books
ISBN: 978-0545403108
Published January 2013
Hardcover, 336 pages
We didn't quite know what to expect
when my daughter and I dug into this book. My daughter initially
didn't think it would be all that special, but as we read it
together, she found it more and more interesting. I liked it
immediately, and how we laugh during the first scenes when we first
meet fiery Jade Moon! She had the misfortune of being born in the Chinese Year
of the Fire Horse, which is a bad thing because girls born in that
year are considered dangerous, bringing tragedy to their families.
And so headstrong Jade Moon finds
herself cursed and no one wants to marry her, except the dull brickmaker. She dreams of
leaving her tiny village and discovering the world beyond. This
becomes a reality when a young man, Sterling Promise, comes along
with his smooth words and offers Jade Moon and her father the
opportunity to go to America. The year is 1923 and Chinese immigrants
are not welcome in America.
Once off the boat, all three are
detained at Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay where immigrants
are questioned before they are allowed entrance into America. They
end up being detained for many months. When Jade Moon discovers she
is to be sent back to China, she devises a plot that gets her into
America and lands her in the dangerous streets of Chinatown, where
she must use all her wits, and where her fiery stubborn streak
actually helps her survive.
Jade Moon is quite the character, full
of hot temper and stubbornness, yet also full of romantic dreams and
strength. She strives to do what is right even at her own expense.
She is a complex character, with the courage and intelligence to
break away from a restricted life to gain freedom. Sterling Promise
confused us at times. We didn't quite know what to make of him. He
was good at keeping his emotions in check and we could see that he
and Jade Moon were continuously clashing, which of course hid their attraction to one another.
My daughter and I loved how nothing
seemed predictable in this story. There were twists and turns, and
for my daughter, Jade Moon's experience was one she had never read of
before. She and I really enjoyed this novel. The story dragged a
little midway, and lost some of its humour, but then picked up toward
the end with lots of action. I was impressed with the author's
research that lent such an authentic feel of the Chinese culture and
way of thinking in this novel, even if she is not Chinese. At the end of the book, the author
includes notes on some of what she learned about the history of the Chinese-American
immigration.
Note: This book is rated V = Violence. (mild) There are some brief street-gang fist-fighting scenes. Although the latter part of the book takes place in Chinatown in some seedy establishments, the author does a great job of keeping it clean.
Reviewed by Laura & Daughter
Disclosure: Thanks to Nikole Kritikos from Scholastic Canada for sending us this book for review. We were not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.
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