Father's Road - a review

Father's Road

by Ji-yun Hang. Translation from Korean by Joy Cowley.
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2017


Young Wong Chung is old enough to take part in his father's caravan from Chang'an (Xi'an) to Constantinople (Istanbul). He heeds his kindly father's advice and pays attention to everything he sees along the way as they travel the Silk Road from east to West.

We arrived at a place called Turpan where I could smell a sweet aroma. "That's the smell of grapes," said Father.

"Grapes?" I asked. "In a desert?"

"See that white mountain over there? The ice from Tian Shan melts into the soil, and these delicious grapes grow." Father traded some silk for a bunch of grapes that tasted sweet as honey.

I gave two grapes to my camel. He liked them too.

Illustrator Tan Jung creates delicate ink drawings on paper that is flecked and textured to mimic sand. Its color also serves to represent the skin tone of the travelers and the coats of their many camels. Only the silks and featured geographical or commercial highlights are rendered in colors outside a muted palette of tans and grays.  Wong Chung, however, is readily discernible from the rest of the caravan by the pompom atop his cloth hat and his simple, yet endearing facial expressions.

Entertaining, educational, and culturally respectful,  Father's Road is part of the Trade Winds series.


Front and endpapers combine to create a map of the ancient Silk Road.
Back matter contains the following sections:

•     The Silk Road (a discussion of its commercial and historical significance)
•     Key Terms and Concepts (definitions of terms related to cultural and economic globalization)
•     Global Exchange (a discussion of "non-commodities" exchanged on the Silk Road, e.g., religion, inventions, disease)
•     Goods from Around the World (India, Rome, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Central Asia, China - a list of the main trading groups and their products)
•     Geography of the Silk Road (a list of major Silk Road cities, their ancient and modern names, significance)
•     A Timeline of Events ( 3000 BCE - 2013 )

On sale 1/30/17.

My Advance Review Copy of Father's Road was provided by LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. 

Unposted #audiobook reviews of 2016

As the year draws to a close, I realized that I've never posted several audio books that I've reviewed for AudioFile Magazine.

Here they are in no particular order (all titles are linked to my full reviews on AudioFile Magazine)

The Last Execution

by Jesper Wung-Sung 

 

A short YA title based on a true story.

"Surreal would be the best description of this book if only it were not based on truth. In 1853, Denmark exercised the death penalty for a final time, cleaving the head from 15-year-old Niels Nelson."  

A Necklace of Raindrops and Other Stories 

by Joan Aiken

"This collection of eight short stories contains gentle tales of fantasy and magic--not the magic of wizards and wands, but of wishing mats and enormous cats and gifts brought by the winds."

 

 

Lock and Key: The Gadwall Incident 

by Ridley Pearson 

 

"This audiobook is a prequel to the Lock and Key series, a contemporary revision of the Sherlock Holmes canon. "

 

Flying 

by Carrie Jones

 The first in a YA series.

"Kate Reinders narrates this campy story about Mana, a high school cheerleader who finds herself battling aliens in a quest to find her missing mom." 

 

 

Swing Sideways 

by Nanci Turner Steveson

 "Narrator Tara Sands realistically interprets a well-off teen's wry observations of her dysfunctional family and their friends.

 

A Big Dose of Lucky

by Martha Jocelyn 

YA series

"Part of the high-interest series Secrets, this audiobook includes support for reluctant readers through narrator Kelly Pruner's clear diction, easy pacing, and decidedly conversational tone."

I'm blogging for ALSC today!

I'm blogging for the Association for Library Service to Children today with winners, news, and an invitation - all from ALA/ALSC's Great Websites for Kids Committee.

Please hop over to the ALSC Blog to see what's new!

The Nazi Hunters - an audiobook review

The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi
by Neal Bascomb
Read by Jason Culp
Scholastic Audiobooks, 2016

I reviewed this book for AudioFile Magazine, and it's the recipient of an Earphones Award.The Nazi Hunters chronicles the 16-year ordeal to capture the notorious Nazi, Adolf Eichmann. Narrator Jason Culp conveys a palpable sense of the fear and tension endured in dangerous and fraught circumstances.


My complete review of The Nazi Hunters for AudioFile Magazine is here.

Want to see the 2016 Best Audiobooks list as selected by AudioFile Magazine?  You can receive free access to the complete guide and enter their contest for 6 months of free audiobooks.  The guide is a great resource if you're in collection development with some budget money left over! Click here for details.  The contest ends tomorrow!

A Monster Calls - read the book first!

A Monster Calls (with Liam Neeson as the monster) is due out in theaters this month.  The movie is based on a book which was begun by Siobhan Dowd and finished by Patrick Ness. I wrote a booktalk for A Monster Calls in 2011.  You can read it here.

It's too soon to tell if the movie will be as good as the book, but give yourself a chance to find out.  Read the book first.  Below is the original book trailer, followed by the new movie trailer.

Enjoy.