Synopses & Reviews
Up and up the wind drew him.
Haoyou looked about him and saw the whole
world beneath him. And it was his.
The Great Miao, master of the Jade Circus, offers Haoyou the amazing chance to escape his family's poverty -- by becoming a kite rider. Strapped onto a beautiful scarlet-and-gold kite, Haoyou is sent into the sky, earning money, freedom, and unexpected fame. Miao even plans for Haoyou to perform before Kublai Khan himself.
From Carnegie Medalist Geraldine McCaughrean comes a dazzling story of adventure, betrayal, family, and sacrifice set in the dramatic world of thirteenth-century China.
Review
“A marvelous, soaring story that gives you a glimpse into another world.” The Guardian (London)
Synopsis
Geraldine McCaughrean--two-time Carnegie Medalist for Where the World Ends and Pack of Lies--delivers a dazzling story of adventure, betrayal, family, and sacrifice set in the dramatic, dangerous world of thirteenth-century China. "A genuine page-turner," raved ALA Booklist in a starred review
The Great Miao, master of the Jade Circus, offers twelve-year-old Haoyou the amazing chance to change his life--to escape from his family's poverty and the pain of his father's recent death--by becoming a kite rider
Strapped onto a beautiful scarlet-and-gold kite, Haoyou is sent into the sky to soar perilously among the clouds and entertain awestruck crowds below. Traveling the Empire with the circus, Haoyou earns freedom, money, and unexpected fame as he skillfully performs for local villagers who believe he can bring back messages from lost loved ones whose spirits haunt the sky.
The Great Miao even plans for the boy to perform before the Mongol conqueror Kublai Khan himself But what if the Miao isn't all that he seems? And can Haoyou really leave behind all the duties that bind him to the ground--his family and especially his widowed mother--for good?
About the Author
Geraldine McCaughrean is the winner of England's most prestigious children's book award, the Carnegie Medal, for a pack of lies. She is also the author of many other prize-winning books for young readers, including
The Pirate's Son, Gold Dust, and
Forever X, which was short-listed for the Carnegie Medal. She made her debut on the HarperCollins list with the stones are hatching, which Publishers Weekly called an "evocative and profound fantasy" in a starred review. Her most recent book, the kite rider, was a 2001 Nestle Smarties Book Prize Bronze Medal winner and was chosen for the 2002 Carnegie Medal shortlist.
She received a degree in education at Christ Church College, Canterbury, and now writes full-time. Ms. McCaughrean and her family live in Berkshire, England.