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71st out of 231 books
—
175 voters
Dragonwings (Golden Mountain Chronicles)
by
Laurence Yep
Moon Shadow was eight when he sailed from China to join his father Windrider in America. Windrider lived in San Francisco's Chinatown and worked in a laundry. Moon Shadow had never seen him.
But he soon loved and respected this father, a man of genius, a man with a fabulous dream. And with Moon Shadow's help, Windrider was willing to endure the mockery of the other Chinese,
...morePaperback, 336 pages
Published
April 6th 1977
by HarperCollins
(first published January 1st 1975)
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Moon Shadow, an 8-year-old Chinese boy, migrates to America to join his father Windrider. The father and son meet for the first time in their life because Windrider sails to Aemrica before Moon Shadow was born. Seeing his own father as a stranger at first, Moon Shadow learns to love and respect his father as time passes. They together make a living by doing laundry for the "white demons" as they called.
I was a little disappointed by this book because I was looking forward to learn more about the...more
I was a little disappointed by this book because I was looking forward to learn more about the...more
Being a reluctant reader I wasn't really thrilled with the idea of the book "Dragonwings" by Laurence YEP that my mom recommended for independent reading. She had it as required reading for a Children's Literature class she was taking while in college. I thought it was going to be mainly about kite flying but hey you can't judge a book by its cover. But as It turned out my mom was right, I liked this book a lot. "Dragonwings" is filled with adventure, the coming of age, culture, and history that...more
Dragonwings by Laurence Yep is an excellent book. This book is based on the California 19th century gold rush. The book follows the story of Moon Shadow and his experience in California. Apparently, Moon Shadow was sent to California by the request of his father and has a great fatherly-son reunion. However the situation gets bad as they get harassed by the white demons (white people). And even after they move, an earthquake erupts which puts them in an even more difficult situation, yet some ho...more
In the novel Dragonwings by Laurence Yep is about a seven year old boy, Moonshadow who goes to California to meet his dad that he has never met before and Moonshadow stays with his dad, Windrider. Moonshadow helps out the family's laundry mat. Black Dog beats up Moonshadow and he steals money from him, Windrider wants revenge on Black Dog for beating up Moonshadow, so both of them go to the sleepers to fight Black Dog but a member from the gang goes up behind Windrider and then Windrider kills t...more
Dragonwings was a fantastic book. It is a historical fiction, and based very loosely on the true life a Chinese inventor and aviator who lived in San Francisco in the early 1900s. Most is fictional as very little is known about the real Fung Joe Guey.
The book is filled with wonderful characters, dialog, and life lessons. Descriptions of events like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake are realistic and full of life. The story is told from the perspective of a young Chinese boy, who full of misunder...more
The book is filled with wonderful characters, dialog, and life lessons. Descriptions of events like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake are realistic and full of life. The story is told from the perspective of a young Chinese boy, who full of misunder...more
A juvenile fiction book about 8 year old Moon Shadow from China who joins his father in San Francisco at the beginning of the 20th Century. His father, Windrider, kite maker extraordinaire, had been in America since before Moon Shadow was born because their own national government and society couldn't or wouldn't provide employment or means for families to survive. America was a land of promise for them and provided the means of supporting their families in China. Windrider worked in a laundry r...more
Moon Shadow was eight years old when he left China to join his father, Windrider, in San Francisco's Chinatown. After a few years of living in the Chinese community, Moon Shadow and his father moved to a stable behind Miss Whitlaw's boarding house, where Windrider can build his flying machine and Moon Shadow will be safe from street violence. Moon Shadow quickly learns to read and write English and in turn teaches Miss Whitlaw and her niece about Chinese dragons and other Chinese traditions. Des...more
Dragonwings is a historical novel for young adults set in San Francisco in the early 1900's. A Chinese man and his son face discrimination and hardships there, yet find affection and support from their Chinese associates and their Caucasian landlady.
The father, known as Windrider for his marvelous skill as a kite builder, has a dream to build and soar in a flying machine as the Wright brothers had recently done on the other side of the continent. The need to earn a living, and later, the great...more
The father, known as Windrider for his marvelous skill as a kite builder, has a dream to build and soar in a flying machine as the Wright brothers had recently done on the other side of the continent. The need to earn a living, and later, the great...more
Feb 15, 2013
Brock K
added it
The story is about a Chinese family that goes to California. In California they make a business of washing clothes. There is an earthquake and it causes a fire in there town and everything is lost. Lastly a character named windrider tries to fly a homemade plane and crashes
In the story one thing I liked about it was that there was excitement. Secondly I liked it because there was some real life comparisons to go along with it such as racism and family conflicts. Lastly one thing I like about the...more
In the story one thing I liked about it was that there was excitement. Secondly I liked it because there was some real life comparisons to go along with it such as racism and family conflicts. Lastly one thing I like about the...more
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Mar 09, 2010
trina
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who were dragons/tang in a former life
this is a really good book. this is what books for children should be! it's original, it's engaging, it's honest, it's didactic, there're likable characters, there's history... i enjoyed this book a lot. whereas certain books i remember reading for school, especially books written from the emigrant perspective, were good for the history but not necessarily the story, this book has both. you get a look at the hardships faced by chinese immigrants to san francisco in the early 20th century- the po...more
Summary: This novel tells the story of Moon Shadow's decision to leave the Middle Kingdom and come live in turn-of-the-century San Francisco with his father. It chronicles his life in America, first in the Tang people's part of the city (what white people call Chinatown), and then living alone with his father among the "demons," as he considers white people.
Response: I have never read a Laurence Yep book, and I am so glad I finally did. I will definitely read more. Aside from how much I enjoyed...more
Response: I have never read a Laurence Yep book, and I am so glad I finally did. I will definitely read more. Aside from how much I enjoyed...more
Dragon Wings is a novel by Laurence Yep that was set at the turn of the 20th century. It is about a boy, Moon Shadow, who lives with his mother in China, while his father is in America working toward a better future for his family. His father, Windrider, decides to have his son (whom he has never seen) come and live with him in America. At this point, the story becomes about the struggle for Moon Shadow to accept this new world and culture, even though his "kind" are not kindly looked upon.
What...more
What...more
May 29, 2010
Jimmy
added it
I read the book "Dragonwings" Moon Shadow Lee journeys across the Pacific to join his proud and clever father at the family-owned laundry in San Francisco. The boy recounts their problems with prejudice, as well as the kindness of uncles and cousins. Father and son must leave the protection of the family to move out of Chinatown, but they find refuge with a generous and friendly landlady. Once they have successfully established a repair business, they turn their attention to making a flying mach...more
Dragonwings is about a boy named Moon Shadow Who goes to America to see his father that he never saw before. The setting is from China, to California, America. Moon Shadows internal conflict is if his father is going to accomplish his dream, to be a dragon and ride through the sky. His external conflict is him dealing with the racism from the white people.
During reading this book, I made a text-to-world connection. The part where these racist teenagers start making fun of Moon Shadow and saying...more
During reading this book, I made a text-to-world connection. The part where these racist teenagers start making fun of Moon Shadow and saying...more
In the book Dragon wings by Laurence Yep your a Chinese boy in the 19 hundreds .you go from living with the company to other places . Your father tells you about a dream that he was a dragon.through out the years you over come the San Fran Cisco earth quake and fire,and the building of an air plane also you have an ending of your fathers dream comes true.
I liked the book because it was slow in parts but had some action in it. It had some history in it like the San Francisco earthquake and fire.i...more
I liked the book because it was slow in parts but had some action in it. It had some history in it like the San Francisco earthquake and fire.i...more
This is an enjoyable tale of a young Chinese boy who travels to the US to be with his father. His father longs to fly and begins a correspondence with the Wright Brothers. I'll spare the details of his quest to avoid spoilers, but honestly, that part of the plot seems to take a back seat to what I felt the true message of the story is.
The author calls Dragonwings an historical fantasy. It is loosely based on a Chinese man who did actually create a flying machine that stayed airborne for 20 minut...more
The author calls Dragonwings an historical fantasy. It is loosely based on a Chinese man who did actually create a flying machine that stayed airborne for 20 minut...more
Dragonwings is not a book that I would prefer to read or recommend to anyone that has overcome reading simple minded texts. Laurence Yep did a considerable job with the explanatory part of this novel as well as the fundamentals exhibited. However, this is truly not a text that I enjoyed. More times than none, I find myself unable to read books out of the genres that I normally read partly because fiction is just that – fiction. Dragonwings is a simple read and does not require much thought or kn...more
This book is set in the early 1900s, exploring the hardships of that the Chinese immigrants faced in San Francisco. It explores the struggle for the American Dream and to success, and the will to keep fighting even when one faces hardship.
In this book, a boy named Moonshadow travels to America, or the land of the White Demons, to meet his father for the first time, and to live with him. In America, Moonshadow faces the difficulty of a new lifestyle, such as living without his mother, being wary...more
In this book, a boy named Moonshadow travels to America, or the land of the White Demons, to meet his father for the first time, and to live with him. In America, Moonshadow faces the difficulty of a new lifestyle, such as living without his mother, being wary...more
I'm given to dissing teachers who assign the same old book year after year, and this is the umpteenth time I've read 'Dragonwings' because it was assigned to a middle schooler with whom I was working. 'Dragonwings,' however, is just the greatest of novels on so many levels--as an historical novel, an adventure novel, a multicultural novel, a coming-of-age novel. I love it, and each time I read it, gain more from the reading. 'Dragonwings' encompasses everything from the 'I Ching' to E. Nesbit, o...more
Feb 15, 2013
Mauricio.s
added it
In the book "DragonWings" moon shadow and windrider have a story that impact there life.It takes place in san fransico, california.
moon shadow came from china to join windrider and his family. They have many conflict through out there story
and solve them. Finally windrider flies his dragon wings an aero plane .
I like this book because it can relate to an immigrant who has came from there country. And it's easy the comprehend the place.
I also like this book because I get to learn about the Chin...more
moon shadow came from china to join windrider and his family. They have many conflict through out there story
and solve them. Finally windrider flies his dragon wings an aero plane .
I like this book because it can relate to an immigrant who has came from there country. And it's easy the comprehend the place.
I also like this book because I get to learn about the Chin...more
Dragonwings tells the story of Moon Shadow, a seven year old boy who leaves his village in China to join his father in San Francisco in the early 1900s. It was interesting to learn about the history of the Tang people's town (Chinatown) and race relations in San Francisco. Moon Shadow and his family refer to white people as demons and many of the characters in the book deserve the nickname. This was one of the most detailed accounts of life during and after the 1906 earthquake I had ever read an...more
This Newbery winner has been sitting on my shelf for a while, since I put off reading it to finish a different series. I hadn't realized that this book is part of a series of books dealing with early Chinese immigrants to San Francisco, but it stood alone just fine. This one is set in the first years of the 20th century, and it duly deals with new inventions like electricity, horseless carriages, and aeroplanes (the latter being significant to the plot), as well as racial stereotypes and social...more
Dragonwings is a Newbery Award winning book (1975) by Lawrence Yep. In this story Moon Shadow (the narrator) moves from "middle kingdom" China to be with his father in Chinatown. His father, Windrider, feels it is his destiny to fly like the Wright Brothers. He and Moon Shadow sacrifice much to work on this dream. Moon Shadow's mother also sacrifices much as she has to remain in China (for 12 years or more) not just because of the flying machine dream, but because of the situation for the Chines...more
I enjoyed this book, but I'm only going to give it four stars. Though it's marketed as a juvenile book, I was surprised at some of the mature elements in this book -- violence, drug abuse, and mention of prostitution. I was going to give this book to my nine-year old and I'm really glad I read it first. I still plan on letting her read it but I think this is meant for 12 and up.
Other than that, I thought it was very well written and well researched, with lots of historical details. I also reall...more
Other than that, I thought it was very well written and well researched, with lots of historical details. I also reall...more
8 year old Moon Shadow’s father went to America, where he has been working, sending back the money the family needs to live, since the boy was an infant.. Then suddenly the father’s cousin appears with a message: it is time for Moon Shadow to go to America to work with his father. The rest of the story details the conditions of Chinese immigrants at the turn of the century: their brotherhoods, family relationships and traditions evolving in the presence of a dominant alien culture. The focus is...more
Feb 15, 2013
Jalen.m
added it
The book dragon wings was an amazing book about a boy who travels from china to America to see his father who he hasn't seen in years and he ends 9 years with each other to find out that he's related to some of the men wind rider is working with like uncle bright star lefty and black dog. And through all the ups and dons they still end up meeting more people through out the whole book like ,mrs whitelaw and robin who take them in and let them live in the shed for a few months and they all hav to...more
It is 1903, and Moon Shadow lives in China with his mother; a few months before Moon Shadow was born, his father, Windrider, left for America, the Land of the Golden Mountain, to earn money which he sends back to his family in China. Now Windrider has sent for the eight-year-old Moon Shadow to join him. When Moon Shadow meets his father, he finds out Windrider's true dream, to fly, and slowly he grows to believe in Windrider's dream, even though it's keeping them from sending for Moon Shadow's...more
Read this with Sarah for their fifth-grade Humanities unit. Some complicated themes (drug use, mentions of prostitution). But very compelling historical fiction of life in and around San Francisco's Chinatown from 1903 - 1909. We happened to be reading the account of the San Francisco earthquake the week after the Haiti earthquake, which was eerily relevant. The connection to "celestial" thoughts and beliefs about dragons and flying with the "occidental" emergence of aeronatics and flying were v...more
A man and his son coming to understand each other, their adopted homeland and the power of flight in earthquake-ravaged 1903 San Francisco.
Read for work - Loved it!
Read for work - Loved it!
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Born June 14, 1948 in San Francisco, California, Yep was the son of Thomas Gim Yep and Franche Lee Yep. Franche Lee, her family's youngest child, was born in Ohio and raised in West Virginia where her family owned a Chinese laundry. Yep's father, Thomas, was born in China and came to America at the age of ten where he lived, not in Chinatown, but with an Irish friend in a white neighborhood. After...more
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“I only knew that there was a certain rightness in life--the feeling you got when you did something the way you knew you should.”
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“And all of a sudden I saw that if life seems awfully petty most of the time, every now and then there is something noble and beautiful and almost pure that lifts us suddenly out of the pettiness and lets us share in it a little.”
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1 person liked it
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