Gr. 5^-8. Beautifully connected through their common setting and characters, these six simply written short stories, which take place in a small manufacturing city in southern Taiwan, are about values: religious, secular, and cultural. Goa Mai wants to win the abacus--at the expense of her best friend. Kun Pei discovers that the safety of his pigeon is more important than winning. Da Wei questions funeral rituals, only to realize that he derives comfort from them. Honesty prevails after Ping Mei struggles with cheating. These stories provide a look at Chinese life as well as an understanding that young people of any culture deal with everyday issues. A chapter offering brief explanations of Chinese customs and a glossary are helpful.
Susan DeRonne
From Kirkus Reviews
Stories about life in modern Taiwan, each centered on one of six children in the same class, and each intended to convey information about the culture as well as to make a moral point. Wu's first book also provides background on Taiwan in an introduction, and explanatory notes about the stories. The writing is flat, the characters interchangeable, and the setting nearly featureless, despite laundry lists of description intended to make it distinct. Despite the inherent drama of pigeon- racing, a funeral, and the contest mentioned in the title, readers will find the stories dull and didactic; instead, let them dig up a good collection of Taiwanese or Chinese folktales, accompanied by sturdy nonfiction on the region. (b&w illustrations, not seen, glossary) (Fiction. 8-12) --
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