Forbidden Tales: Sword [Library Binding]

Da Chen (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Series: Forbidden Tales

On the morning of Miu Miu's fifteenth birthday, her mother makes a startling revelation: Miu Miu's fate is to travel to the faraway city of Chang'an, avenge her father's death, and find her true love. But the evil emperor has other plans for her. Defeating him will take all of Miu Miu's courage, wit, and martial arts experience.

Master storyteller Da Chen paints a vivid portrait of his native land in this classic tale of honor, adventure, and romance in ancient China.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Chen (Wandering Warrior) again mixes martial arts, Chinese lore and light romance with great success in another Forbidden Tales novel. His cunning heroine, Miu Miu, steps forward on her 15th birthday, determined to kill the emperor who murdered her father. Secretly trained in martial arts, Miu Miu repeatedly and narrowly evades misfortune and death. Her many near-misses keep readers hooked, while Chen, in a languid poetic voice, masterfully weaves in Miu Miu's thoughts about traditional Chinese ways (She knew for certain that she did not want to be a human hen [whose] chore was merely to lay eggs and daily face the bullying of roosters). After Miu Miu unknowingly challenges her betrothed to a kung fu duel—nearly killing him—the two pledge their love and team up to slay the evil emperor. Here Chen's story gets less grounded in reality, involving magical swords and other fantastic elements. In an unexpected twist, the tale ends with a satisfying look at family honor and the triumph of love. Atmospheric and exciting. Ages 10–up. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up—In a short introduction, Chen describes an ex-convict who was both an outcast and a sage in the village in China where he grew up. It was from this man that the author first heard the story he tells here. That prologue is immediate and vivid, placing readers in the world where Chen was a child. Unfortunately, the style changes in the novel, and the story of Miu Miu, who must avenge her father's death at the hands of the emperor, is never as personal or vibrant as those initial pages. The 15-year-old martial artist leaves home, disguised as a boy, with the intent of killing the emperor. On the way she meets Tong Ting, another martial artist to whom she was promised in marriage as a baby, and they work together to face the emperor. When they are unable to overcome him, the destiny written for them is death, but Miu Miu believes that her father would want her to live. There is likely to be a cultural disconnect for American readers, as the novel features the traditions of warriors drinking each other's blood as a pledge and widows hanging themselves as honorable deaths. If the character development were deep and genuine, these cultural gaps would fill easily, but the people in this story never become more than folktale figures. For its folkloric quality, the novel is certainly worth reading, but students looking for tales of kung fu and magic might be better off with Lawrence Yep's "Tiger's Apprentice" series (HarperCollins).—Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061447595
• ISBN-13: 978-0061447594
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,746,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, July 18, 2009

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forbidden Tales: Sword (Hardcover)

On her fifteenth birthday, Miu Miu wakes not to the matchmaker, as is tradition in her village, but to a frightening revelation from her mother. Miu Miu's father was murdered, she discovers, and Miu Miu must travel to the city of Chang'an to avenge her father's death and find her true love.

But the path to victory is never straight, Miu Miu learns, as she faces challenge after challenge in her journey towards Chang'an, only to find that her most difficult task lies in the form of the evil emperor who she must defeat.

SWORD is a captivating adventure that paints an intriguing portrait of ancient China. While the story is simplistic and sometimes predictable, readers will remain invested in SWORD because of the way it is crafted. Miu Miu is a sympathetic heroine and her adventures are highly entertaining, especially when they involve martial arts.

I enjoyed SWORD immensely, and heartily recommend it to readers in search of a good, clean adventure story with a strong female protagonist.

Reviewed by: Rebecca Wells

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful writing, September 13, 2008

By 

Billie Jo Kariher-dyer "India's Mom" (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forbidden Tales: Sword (Hardcover)

FORBIDDEN TALES: SWORD
By Da Chen
Published by Harper Collins
ISBN: 978-0-06-144759-4
Most Americans are aware of Fairy Tales based from a European background. Native American tales and African tales are also becoming more popular. The Chinese Tale, however. is not so well known in the west. This is a beautifully written book that describes what happens when a young Chinese girl reaches 15 and learns the truth about her father's death. She now must face the challenges of avenging his death and the potential marriage to a man she has never met. All the while feeling the pressures of her mother and her community to do what is right.

If you have ever seen the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" it will help you to imagine what the beauty of Da Chen's written words express. Through his words I can feel myself spinning in the air and flying through the trees.

As in all good tales this one has a moral to the story and an ending that will leave you surprised and satisfied. I had no idea what was coming in the ending until it came and I loved it. This book is only 229 small pages long. It gets you into the story quickly and resolves things equally fast. This is a great book for anyone who wants a good read with lots of heart.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 2.5 stars: I wanted to like it!, August 29, 2008

By 

K. Gilligan "grad student & literature lover" (Haddon Heights, NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forbidden Tales: Sword (Hardcover)

"Many nights I filled my spare time by squeezing into his doorway and claiming a spot on the crowded floor, listening devotedly to his tales of another time and place, after enduring a few slaps on the head from the older folks who didn't want me there. He was an optimist, and his words made you see the bright colors of spring and the majestic snow-capped mountains of Xinjiang. The sunsets in his tales were especially glorious, and the people with whom he had shared his life the most gifted."

("Sword" pg 6*)

"Sword" by Da Chen opens with a prologue describing a young boy listening to a great storyteller, and then chapter one splits off into another tale- one that the storyteller is supposedly telling. That story is of a fifteen year old girl named Miu Miu who sets off to avenge the death of her father. The movie Mulan comes to mind, as Miu Miu disguises herself in her father's clothing before leaving her village. But unlike Mulan, Miu Miu has the permission of her mother and village elders to take up her quest. Eventually she teams up with the man she was promised to at birth, and they both plot to kill the one responsible for Miu Miu's father.

The language of this book is beautiful. It really reads like poetry- the imagery in particular, and the readers can perfectly picture these landscapes in their heads. Even the fights are poetic, and bring to mind graceful but powerful battles- like those in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

One thing bothered me as I was reading (and it sort of is the same thing that bothered me when I read The White Mary: A Novel). It was the use of foreign words throughout a story being told in English. For example, on page 74 it reads: "Long 'quiang'-spears- were in their hands, and short daggers were plunged into the side of their boots." I just don't see that `quiang' is necessary. It is the Chinese word for spear, but the whole story is being told in English- not Chinese. That said, it didn't take away from the story- but it did annoy me each time it happened. I could see how it would be useful to teach us random Chinese words, but why for 'spear' and not for (for example) `daggers'?

My problem with the Chinese words aside, I did enjoy most of this story. I was about to recommend it highly to those who enjoyed "Mulan", or to those who enjoy a good adventure..... And then I got to the end!! I felt like one ending was written- then more was written and tacked on so that the audience didn't feel so depressed. Whatever happened, it didn't work for me. (And that first ending wouldn't have really worked either!) I'm left scratching my head- and I'm afraid I can't exactly recommend this the way I wanted. It's a shame too, because 7/8 of the book is amazingly beautiful... So maybe just buy it but don't read the end!

Also, according to the back of the book, this is recommended for ages 10 and up or grades 5 and up.... I'm not so sure that's a good idea. There's a scene where a man wants to put his hand between her legs to find out if she's a woman or not, there's mention of her betrothed watching her suggestively as she changes clothes.... I just don't think I would recommend it for ten year olds.

*These words may change in the final publication of the book

(Originally reviewed for "Kathleen's Book Reviews")