Golden Rat
It is no secret that 16-year-old Baoliu resents his father’s new wife. So when the new wife turns up dead, Baoliu quickly becomes the main suspect. At the trial, no one, not even Baoliu’s family, speaks up in his defense, so the judge has no choice but to sentence the boy to death. The night before the execution, Baoliu’s father comes with bitter news. Baoliu will be set free, but only because his father has paid for a substitute to die in his place. Once he is free, this gruesome ritual plagues Baoliu. He is shunned and harassed by people in the street, and his own family will no longer speak with him; so he is forced to live on the street and forage for food. In a desperate attempt to understand what has happened, he seeks out the family of the man who died in his place.
This intense mystery set in Yongjia, China in the year 1199 will hook readers who like punchy action, a little history and a new twist on the urban survival tale. Wulffson includes occasional Chinese dialogue to lend authenticity, though many of the English phrasings sound far too modern for the time period. Baoliu is a sympathetic, though not fully-developed character. However, the length (168 pages), action and fast-pace make this a good choice for young readers interested in the topic.
DweebMeter: 2.75/5
If you like this book, check out Don Wulffson’s critically acclaimed Soldier X, a story about a boy who is unwillingly recruited into Hitler’s children’s army.
John Huffam, 14, falls into a dangerous world of spies, deceit and traitors after his father is arrested and sent to debtor’s prison. Brought up as a gentlemen, John must put aside his naivete to uncover the real story behind his father’s debt. In doing so, he learns uncomfortable truths about his father and the world he thought he knew.
When Holling Hoodhood starts seventh grade, he knows two things for sure. First, he is the son who will one day inherit Hoodhood and Associates (his father’s architecture firm). Second, his new teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates his guts. He first discovers this fact on Wednesday, when the Jewish and Catholic students leave for religious study, and Holling, the only Presbyterian, must stay behind with Mrs. Baker. Mrs. Baker tortures him with meaningless chores each Wednesday, until one day, she comes up with a new punishment. She forces him to read Shakespeare.
The story of a medieval village in England in 1255 comes to life through 23 interweaving monologues. Readers will meet Taggot, the blacksmith’s daughter, who fears she is ugly and will never find a husband. They will learn about crafts from voices like Drogo, the tanner’s apprentice, Edgar, the falconer’s son, and Nelly, the sniggler. From Jacob Ben Salomon, the moneylender’s son, they will experience the harsh treatment Jews suffered in medieval Europe. The author leaves hardly any corner of the village untouched, giving voice to young people of all classes, including Simon, the knight’s son, Giles, the beggar, and Isobel, the lord’s daughter.
In this second book in the Racing to Freedom trilogy, Alison Hart tells the story of Gabriel, 13, a newly freed slave trying to make a name for himself as a jockey. Gabriel has won two races in his hometown, Kentucky, but there’s no fame for an African American jockey in the South. He is excited and scared when his boss sends him to New York to race in the Saratoga Chase. Gabriel expects to get a taste of freedom in Saratoga, but, instead, he learns that the North supplies its own brand of injustice.
Lady Mary, 14, awaits the return of her future husband, Asleif, and her father, the Thane of Cawdor, from war. But when Cawdor and Asleif turn traitor to the king and are killed, she becomes prisoner in the court of Lord and Lady Macbeth. Fortunately for Mary, the Macbeths have greater trouble on their hands than a traitorous daughter.
This historical novel recreates a 1920’s world of Prohibition, complete with rumrunners and big city mobsters. Young Ruben had heard tales of a legendary rumrunning vessel, the Black Duck, but when he accidentally witnesses the boat making a drop his world changes forever. Tensions erupt between Ruben and his best friend, and Ruben soon comes to believe that his best friend’s father, who also happens to be the sheriff, may be involved with the mob.
