  | Secrets of the terra-cotta soldier Author: Compestine, Ying Chang | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
Through the stories of a terra-cotta soldier who has survived through the centuries, thirteen-year-old Ming, a village boy in 1970s China, learns the history of Emperor Qin, known both for building the Great Wall of China and for burying scholars alive, and how and why the terra-cotta soldiers came to be.
| Added Entry - Personal Name: | Compestine, Vinson |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.50 Points: 5.0 Quiz: 164949 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 6-8 Reading Level: 4.70 Points: 10.0 Quiz: 63884 | |
Common Core Standards
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Rang
Grade 5 → Reading → CCR College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards fo
Grade 6 → Reading → CCR College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards fo
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Integration of Knowledge & Ideas
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (01/01/14)
School Library Journal (04/01/14)
Booklist (01/01/14)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (A) (04/14)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 01/01/2014 Mother-and-son team Ying Chang and Vinson Compestine take a historical, adventure-packed peek into Mao’s China with their young protagonist, Ming, whose archaeologist father is an ostracized member of the intellectual elite brought low by the Cultural Revolution. Ming’s classmates, as well as greedy locals, only exacerbate the isolation he feels while attending school. When some reward-seeking villagers bring him an earth god they dug up, Ming is happy to accept it on behalf of his father. He gets more than he bargained for, however, when he discovers it’s a terra-cotta soldier built to protect Emperor Qin’s ancient tomb—and he talks! Shi, the soldier, has quite the tale to tell about life under the emperor, which compares in many ways to Ming’s life under Mao’s regime. Despite the hardships, both courageous characters work to uphold their respective duties: Shi to protect the tomb and Ming to protect the cultural legacy of China’s people. With archival art, recipes, and end notes, this title is sure to be a hit in the classroom. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.
Bulletin for the Center... - 04/01/2014 Ming’s archaeologist father has been sent by the Maoist government for “reeducation” in a rural area of 1972 China, and Ming suffers the scorn and ridicule of his classmates as much as the grinding poverty that comes with his father’s demotion. When farmers come to the gate with a broken terra-cotta figure they unearthed in a field and for which they expect to be paid, Ming suspects the statue has something to do with the burial of Emperor Qin, builder of the Great Wall, who is supposedly interred in the region. This suspicion is confirmed when the statue comes to life, and the reanimated soldier, Shi, works with Ming to protect the tomb of the acclaimed ruler under whom Shi was both honored in battle and sentenced to death. The Compestines have the demanding task of bringing readers up to speed simultaneously on the emperor, the archaeologically significant site of his burial, and the Cultural Revolution, and the strain of the effort shows in frequently awkward insertion of information into stiff dialogue and the relatively thin development of each of the individual themes. There’s enough humor and action, however, to keep fiction readers’ attention, and enough black and white photographs of artifacts and geographic settings to remind nonfiction fans that this is reality-based. Kids ready to move on from The Magic Tree House but still attached to the fantasy/reality format will be great candidates for this step-up title. Authors’ note and interview are included. EB - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
School Library Journal - 04/01/2014 Gr 4–7—After being exiled to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, Ming's father is in danger of losing his job when three farmers unearth a terra-cotta statue. Amazingly, the statue comes to life and tells the 13-year-old Ming about his life guarding the Great Wall from invading Mongols. At the same time, Ming is ridiculed by his classmates and teacher for not being a peasant. When he and the statue uncover a plot to rob the Emperor Qin's tomb and denounce Ming's father, they are determined to stop it. The story draws on the parallels between the ruthless leadership of Chairman Mao and Emperor Qin (comparisons frequently made at the time of the former's dictatorship) while still shying away from many of the Cultural Revolution's horrors in order to stay age-appropriate. Chinese words and characters are incorporated, sometimes awkwardly, but the history is skillfully woven into the action. The statue's backstory and the secret traps of the tomb provide ample adventure. A good match for fans of Jeff Stone's "Five Ancestors: Out of the Ashes" series (Random). Several photographs help illustrate the daily life during the 1970s and artifacts excavated from the emperor's tomb.—Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VA - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
