Child Bride [Hardcover]

Ching Yeung Russell (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

In the 1940's in southeastern China, eleven-year-old Ying will do whatever it takes to avoid the marriage arranged for her by a grandmother she barely knows because it would take her away from the grandmother who is raising her.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-In 1948, 11-year-old Ying, the feisty, resourceful heroine of Russell's earlier novels, still lives with her beloved maternal grandmother, Ah Pau, in a small village in southeastern China. Word comes that her wealthy paternal grandmother, Ah Mah, is seriously ill and wants to see her. Ying makes the day-long trip only to discover that its real purpose is to marry her to the son of a well-to-do family. She wants no part of this arranged marriage and plots to return to Ah Pau, whose poor health has her very concerned. After a series of action-packed but unlikely adventures, including an escape and a subsequent capture by bandits, Ying finally makes it home. The story is told in workmanlike, straightforward prose. Its strengths are in the maturation of Ying expressed in her concern for Ah Pau and in her compassion for Ah Mah, and in the details of Chinese village life, particularly the wedding and funeral customs and the glimpse into life in a wealthy household. A pen-and-ink sketch introduces each chapter.
Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Should a young girl follow the cultural imperatives of her society and go through with an arranged marriage, or embark upon a dangerous journey in an attempt to escape the situation? That's the dilemma that confronts Ying, the plucky 11-year-old heroine in this suspenseful novel. Russell offers a thought-provoking glimpse of Chinese society in the 1940s, where children have no rights, but belong body and soul to their father's family. When Ying's wealthy, autocratic paternal grandmother informs her visiting granddaughter that she's to be married immediately, her word is law. Ying protestsshe desperately wants to return home to her beloved, ailing maternal grandmotherbut her objections are brushed aside. Feeling out of options, Ying decides to flee; in the action-packed but somewhat confusing, surprisingly flat journey that follows, Ying briefly teams up with an orphan, grapples with her conniving aunt, and finds an unexpected ally in her groom-to-be. Although Russell's characterization of the resourceful, determined Ying is solid, it's the wealth of cultural detail, the curious facts, and vivid descriptions of a time and place governed by a specific set of underlying assumptions that will keep readers engaged. (glossary) (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 133 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press; 1st edition (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563977486
• ISBN-13: 978-1563977480
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,713,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ching Yeung Russell is the author of four novels based on her childhood growing up in China - First Apple, Water Ghost, Lichee Tree, and Child Bride - as well as the picture book Moon Festival. Her latest book, Tofu Quilt, is the story of her struggle to become a writer from the age of twelve. Ms. Russell was born in Guangdong, China and later moved to Hong Kong. A graduate of Hong Kong Baptist College, she worked as a freelance writer before marrying an American and emigrating to the United States. She and her husband, Phillip K. Russell, whose photographs illustrated her first published work, A Day on a Shrimp Boat, are the parents of two grown sons, Jonathan and Jeremy. Find out more about Ching Y. Russell at her website: http://chingyeung.homestead.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Story!, March 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Child Bride (Hardcover)

Ying lives in Tai Kong, China with her poor, but loving Ah Pau.When she is eleven years old, she is suddenly sent away to Lam Cheun,to visit her "dying" Ah Mah. After a days journey, shearrives at her grandmother's mansion to discover... With the help of the "wild child" and her Auntie Three*, she attempts to flee home to Tai Kong. Will Ying make it home to her beloved Ah Pau or will her grandmother catch her and ... This was an exciting story about life in China in the 1940's. It is rich in Chinese culture. I throughly enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of Laurence Yep books!

*NOTE: Appearances can be deceiving! END