The Crystal Ribbon - Hardcover

Lim, Celeste

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0545767032 ISBN 13: 9780545767033

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2017

Synopsis

Wonder, mysticism, heartache, and joy are the stones that set the path to one girl's journey as her destiny unfolds.

In the village of Huanan, in medieval China, the deity that rules is the Great Huli Jing. Though twelve-year-old Li Jing's name is a different character entirely from the Huli Jing, the sound is close enough to provide constant teasing-but maybe is also a source of greater destiny and power. Jing's life isn't easy. Her father is a poor tea farmer, and her family has come to the conclusion that in order for everyone to survive, Jing must be sacrificed for the common good. She is sold as a bride to the Koh family, where she will be the wife and nursemaid to their three-year-old son, Ju'nan. It's not fair, and Jing feels this bitterly, especially when she is treated poorly by the Koh's, and sold yet again into a worse situation that leads Jing to believe her only option is to run away, and find home again. With the help of a spider who weaves Jing a means to escape, and a nightingale who helps her find her way, Jing embarks on a quest back to Huanan--and to herself.

About this title

About the Author

Of Chinese descent, author Celeste Lim was born and raised in Malaysia, where she spent the first seventeen years of her life envious of the children she read about in English storybooks. Now, she has the desire to give the same gift―the awareness of exciting worlds that exist beyond where we live―to children through her own writing. A graduate of the MFA in Writing for Children program at The New School, Celeste lives in Queens with her Pomeranian, Hamlet. The Crystal Ribbon is her first novel.

Reviews

Gr 5–8—When 11-year-old Jing is sold by her family to be a future bride for a wealthy three-year-old, she is thrust into a life of humiliation and punishment by her new in-laws. When her plans to flee are thwarted, her in-laws sell her to be trained as a concubine. Jing learns that the concubines-in-training receive lessons in art and politics, and their physical duties are hinted at by one of China's most celebrated concubines, who eventually assists the girl in escaping. Upon leaving the concubine house, Jing stumbles upon a young boy and encounters a village that is seemingly being slowly poisoned by a tree. Jing's triumphant rescue of the poisoned village and her hopeful future are joyous conclusions to this somber story. Her constant deprivation and painful punishments are chillingly detailed. The relationship between Jing and Jun'an, her toddler-aged future husband, is one of the few reliefs Jing has from constant harassment and harsh words, although Jun'an is rather verbally advanced for a three-year-old. Chinese words, as well as Jing's internal thoughts, are italicized, with definitions of Chinese words woven into the narrative. An author's note gives further background on the time period and traditions of 1100 CE China. Magical elements throughout bring much-needed wonder and hope to Jing's life. Although this title is set in ancient China, the theme of children being sacrificed for profit and sold into slavery or prostitution remains relevant. VERDICT An unusual and fascinating though dark tale. Purchase where novels set in ancient China are popular.—Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0545767032
• ISBN 13: 9780545767033
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352