Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
New York : Tempo Books, 1984, c1979.
Description
A thirteen-year-old boy escapes from slaughter by the Boxers in China and joins forces with an English botanist and her escort, traveling with them to Tibet where the power of Buddhist monks transforms the lives of all of them.
User reviews
LibraryThing member readinggeek451
Thirteen-year-old Theodore Tewker is the only survivor of a Boxer attack on his father's mission Settlement. Alone in rural China, he falls in with a botanist and her servant/translator. Although Theodore finds Mrs. Jones to be crude and blasphemous, he comes to like and admire her anyway. The
Exciting and thought-provoking, with compelling characters and no easy answers. Written as YA, but well worth attention by adults.
Now available as an ebook.
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three of them travel across China, dodging bandits, eventually heading across the border into Tibet. There they meet a lama who is searching for the reincarnated Tulku and believes that Theodore might be the one. So they find themselves at a monastery, not quite prisoners, and taking instruction in Buddhism, much to Theodore's disquiet.Exciting and thought-provoking, with compelling characters and no easy answers. Written as YA, but well worth attention by adults.
Now available as an ebook.
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LibraryThing member JanaRose1
When Theodore's father's mission settlement is burnt to the ground, Theodore is the sole survivor. When he is sneaking back into the blackened ruins, he encounters, Mrs. Jones, a botanist traveling across China.
There was something that seemed completely childish about the writing style. The
There was something that seemed completely childish about the writing style. The
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characters were very stereotypical and really just caricatures of people. Overall, a bust. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
Other reviewers are comparing this to other works by the author, other award-winning books, other books about religion, their own guesses of what teens will read, their own perceptions about the Orient and about Eastern & Christian religions.... I give this book four stars because I believe it to
I do agree that it seems almost like two books. It is long, and for the first part it is adventure. As the characters get to know each other, and we them, it's a 'man against nature' quest. When our three travellers reach Tibet, it gets philosophical. It is *not* vague or rambling - reviewers who say that must have been reading while tired, or while distracted. It *is* provocative.
Some might label it historical fiction, as it does take place in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion, and does talk a bit about Chinese and Tibetan politics. I wish it had said more - I did not learn enough history from this... and I'm about burnt out on historical fiction. In fact, I'm not sure the particular monastery named is real. Iow, I wouldn't put this in that genre. It's literature or adventure.
It's also gracefully written - the people and the mountains feel entirely real, the pages keep turning, the ending makes sense with all that's gone before but it's not predictable... a good book. Should not be overlooked.
I do note, in my public library, that books for MG tend longer than those for YA. Teens have more going on in their lives, and 10-13 year-olds can focus better and are more curious? In any case, this is a book for all ages 15 and up -- maybe as young as 11 if the family is not shy of references to adultery and idolatry and the child is a good reader.
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be worthy of four stars when judged on its own merits.I do agree that it seems almost like two books. It is long, and for the first part it is adventure. As the characters get to know each other, and we them, it's a 'man against nature' quest. When our three travellers reach Tibet, it gets philosophical. It is *not* vague or rambling - reviewers who say that must have been reading while tired, or while distracted. It *is* provocative.
Some might label it historical fiction, as it does take place in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion, and does talk a bit about Chinese and Tibetan politics. I wish it had said more - I did not learn enough history from this... and I'm about burnt out on historical fiction. In fact, I'm not sure the particular monastery named is real. Iow, I wouldn't put this in that genre. It's literature or adventure.
It's also gracefully written - the people and the mountains feel entirely real, the pages keep turning, the ending makes sense with all that's gone before but it's not predictable... a good book. Should not be overlooked.
I do note, in my public library, that books for MG tend longer than those for YA. Teens have more going on in their lives, and 10-13 year-olds can focus better and are more curious? In any case, this is a book for all ages 15 and up -- maybe as young as 11 if the family is not shy of references to adultery and idolatry and the child is a good reader.
Show Less
LibraryThing member joncarr
I stopped reading after chapter 7. This is a well written book with well developed characters, but drags if you are looking for
an historical adventure.
an historical adventure.
LibraryThing member Esta1923
This splendid book is more than an adventure narrative. Its human interest covers several relationships beautifully and its conclusion satisfies even after multiple readings. Although it was written in 1979 the political conflict in Tibet is still in the news.
It was awarded the Whitebread Prize and
It was awarded the Whitebread Prize and
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Carnegie Medal (!979). Show Less
Awards
Costa Book Awards (Shortlist — Children's Book — 1979)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 1979)
IBBY Honour Book (Writing — 1982)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 1979)
Language
ISBN
044182630X / 9780441826308
DDC/MDS
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