Customer Reviews

The Kite Fighters

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Kite Fighters, by Linda Sue Park, is a wonderful book. Linda has written this story really well. She really takes you into the story, and makes you feel like you are there. When one of the characters accidentally broke a pot, I felt like I could hear the sound of the pot breaking. Her way of writing is very interesting. She only uses a few words to describe what is happening in the story, but in those few words she tells you so much that you feel like you read a paragraph. Linda also uses many descriptive words. Here is a passage from the book that I think is very descriptive, "I was so angry that I felt like there was a thunderstorm in my head. There was nothing anyone could do to remove the flood of anger that was thundering in my head."

This book is about a young boy, Young-Sup, who lives in Korea. He is a master at kite flying. He knows every thing there is to know about kites. He wants to fly in the kite competition. According to tradition, though, the oldest son always represents the family. That means hat Kee-Sup, his older brother, will fly instead of him. Young-Sup gets very angry. What will he do about it? Who will fly in the kite competition? Read this book to find out.

This book is fantastic. It is one of the stories that you just can't put down until you are finished. OK, this is a great book, but if you are looking for lots of action, this is not the book for you. I still think it is the best. The main character is a lot like me. He sometimes feels that nobody likes him and I do to. What I really liked about the book is how the author describes the scenes.

This book fits into the realistic fiction genre. It talks about a young boy who lives in Korea. Many of the facts are true.

This book is for 9 year olds because the main character's feelings are like many 9 year olds feelings.

"The Kite Fighters" is a good little story that can be read in as meager an amount of time as an hour. It even has a lesson or two embedded in its well-written chapters. It is set in the little written about Korea, in the 15th century.

As the story begins, two brothers, Kee-sup and Young-sup, are flying the kite that Kee-sup was given for New Year's. Kee-sup is no good, but to Young-sup it comes naturally. Soon Kee-sup discovers that he has a talent for making beautiful kites, while Young-sup has that talent of flying them. Their flying of kites leads to a friendship with the young King of Korea, and Kee-sup makes the King a kite while Young-sup teaches him to fly it, and they become good friends (Moral: Because someone is big and important it doesn't mean that they aren't human and can't be a friend).

Then, with an impending New Year and the kite fighting competitions, the King asks Young-sup to fly his kite for him in the contest and see if he can win. Young-sup's father then comes in and says that Kee-sup (who can't fly, by the way), as the eldest, would be the right one to fly it. Does Young-sup get to fly the kite in the end? Does he win the kite-fighting competition? Read this book and find out.

This book is about two brothers named Kee-sup and Young-sup who live in Korea. They both love to fly kites but only Young-sup can launch a kite successfully alone.Because Kee-sup is the oldest son,Young-sup is always in second place and he finds it unfair.One day when both brothers were at the hillside flying their kites,they met the king(who was only at their age) face to face and formed a special friendship together.The king wanted to join the kite-flying competition but he knew that everyone would let him win on purpose and so he asked Young-sup to represent him in the competition.But would Young-sup beat the rest and Kim Hee-nam who the champion for the past two years? Read and you will find out.

The Kite Fighters will fly you effortlessly back to the year 1473 and into the world of three young Korean boys. Two are brothers who each have talents with kites. The oldest is an artist and can craft the most beautiful kites. The younger boy is skilled at flying and technique in kite fighting. The third boy is the young King who longs to be like other boys, to run and play and fly a kite on a hill. Each scene is crafted carefully and progresses smoothly to the exciting finish, a competition of kite flying before the King. The author shares intimate looks into Korean history, culture, family life and traditions of that time. The time may be long ago and the place may be far away, but the emotions and excitement of the boys will still connect with readers of today. I really enjoyed this book. It inspires me to 1) read more by Linda Sue Park and 2) go fly a kite!

This is a story of two kids in Korea in 1471. One has anenormous gift for making kites. His little brother has an equallyenormous gift for flying them. As they navigate through the rules of the family and of Korean life, they grow, serve their emperor and learn much about their own family. This subject had minimal appeal for me, but I am much taken with the book, and feel kids in fourth and fifth grade in particular would enjoy reading it. It also might make a great teacher read-aloud.

Who needs fantasy when real civilizations have been so diverse? Park's book brings medieval Korea to life through the eyes of two young brothers, one a talented kite maker, the other a skilled flyer. The story never set my pulse racing (which is the only reason I don't give it 5 stars --- I'm fond of thrillers), but hundreds of little details that make the boys' lives different from ours, yet the same, are effortlessly conveyed.

The main characters are Young-sup and Kee-sup.Young-sup and Kee-sup are two brothers who live in ancient Korea. This book takes place in Korea in 1473.The main idea of this book is a festival where you fight kites. I think this book would be good for a fourth and fifth grader. I found this book interesting. I would rate this book five stars. What I like about this book is the formula they use on their kite string to help cut other kites.

If your son -- of ANY AGE -- can read pages 67 through 69 without falling on his butt giggling like a maniac, he's much more mature than I am.

Yep, just kickin' the cock...

Linda Sue Park fills an important niche in children's literature, providing insight into and surfacing important issues about Korean history and culture in such a way that children can easily relate to.

While Seesaw Girl was about the role of women and a Single Shard was about the importance of families and class, Kite Fighters is about the power dynamics within the traditional Korean family. Kee-sup and Young-sup are the sons of a bureaucrat in medieval Korea. Because Kee-sup is the oldest son, he is expected to study hard and take the civil service examination required for important bureaucratic positions. Young-sup is the second son. He is neither expected nor encouraged to sit for the examination. While Kee-sup is methodical and artistic, Young-sup is daring, instinctive and enjoys a challenge. Because of their personalities, Kee-sup is able to make it through his studies, but Young-sup is the one with the true passion for learning.

Kee-sup's passion is in building things, and thus while he has little skill flying a kite, he can make one perfectly. Young-sup lacks the attention to detail required to build a great kite, but he knows automatically how to fly one.

Although the brothers' relationship is fraught with some tension, they are able to work together to construct and fly their kite so well that they draw the attention of the boy-king of Korea. Although supposedly all-powerful, the boys immediately recognize both the loneliness and burdens the king feels. They are then honored and touched when the king asks them to fly a kite for him during the annual kite festival, which he cannot participate in. The description of the festival is rich in detail, but not tiresome, and while the reader can guess the outcome, the author successfully and even somewhat suspensefully draws it out.

Although Young-sup is the primary voice of the story, the author shows that both brothers should have our sympathy. While tradition requires Young-sup to work that much harder for any recognition from his father, it demands that Kee-sup take a path which he agrees to but is not entirely cut out for. While Young-sup resents his brother's privileges and Kee-sup envies his brother's freedom, it is obvious that the two depend on each other for their happiness.

Park also drops a few references to the examination system which dominated Korean society for hundreds of years and is in large part responsible for the importance of education in modern Korea. While selections for civil service jobs are supposed to be made on the basis of merit- or the results of the exam- it is known even to these young boys that who you know can still be very important in securing a good job. One must wonder how that cynical knowledge mingled with the strict lessons in Confucian values about honor for children in this culture.

I have used this book many times when teaching Korean history to preteens to illustrate Korean history. I recommend that anyone who wants to approach this period with children nine and up explore this and Park's other books.

If you like to fly a kite, and if you don't read this book, then you will be sorry.

One beautiful day, the two boys, Young-sup and Kee-sup, were trying to flying a kite in dim wind . When suddenly, Young-sup found a new way to fly the kite. Then Young-sup wanted to make his own kite. The next day, Young-sup made a kite, but it was wrong. Later, Young-sup asked Kee-sup to make a kite. So Young-sup made a deal with Kee-sup that Kee-sup gives the instructions for Young-sup to make the kite. The next day, after some time, Young-sup was flying a kite just like Kee-sup's tiger kite.

One day, while flying the kites, the king went to them. Young-sup made friends with the king and inspired him to fly a kite. Later, Kee-sup met the king too, and the king asked for a kite of his own. About a month later the kite the king requested was given to him.

The next day, when the king wanted to enter the the new years kite flying contest, but he will automaticly win since he is the king. So Young-sup had to enter for him so he could disguise the king so if he won the king won instead. After a long hard time of kite fighting he won! While they were going home, Young-sup knew he could fly a kite super well.

I think you learn that you can do anything if you do your best. I learned that from the kite fighther.I think this is a 5 star book, Hey! I think I'll fly a kite.