編輯推薦
適讀人群 :8歲及以上 Grades 4-7--Laurence Yep's Newbery Honor book (HarperCollins, 1975) offers insights into the lives of Chinese-Americans in early 20th century California. The story begins as eight-year-old Moon Shadow Lee journeys across the Pacific to join his proud and clever father at the family-owned laundry in San Francisco. The boy recounts their problems with prejudice, as well as the kindness of uncles and cousins. Father and son must leave the protection of the family to move out of Chinatown, but they find refuge with a generous and friendly landlady. Once they have successfully established a repair business, they turn their attention to making a flying machine. Though it's a modern invention, part of their motivation is the elder's belief in his own previous dragon existence. Yep draws heavily on his own heritage, but also includes figures such as Teddy Roosevelt and the Wright Brothers, and historic events such as the San Francisco Earthquake. The result is a heartwarming story set in a familiar time and place, but told from a new perspective. The quiet intensity of B. D. Wong's narration enriches the text as he creates memorable voices for a large cast of characters. Wafting, ethereal music signals the end of each side of the cassette, and the cover art is attractive. The only problem is the lightweight cardboard package, which is not sturdy enough for heavy circulation. That shouldn't deter libraries from purchasing this fine recording which will provide upper elementary and middle school listeners with lessons in history, and a gentle reminder of the value of a loving family and loyal friends.
內容簡介
Moon shadow is eight years old when he sails from China to join his father, Windrider, in America. Windrider lives in San Francisco and makes his living doing laundry. Father and son have never met.
But Moon Shadow grows to love and respect his father and to believe in his wonderful dream. And Windrider, with Moon Shadow's help is willing to endure the mockery of the other Chinese, the poverty, the separation from his wife and country'even the great earthquake'to make his dream come true.
1976 Newbery Honor Book
Notable Children's Books of 1971–1975 (ALA)
1976 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction
1976 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
"Best of the Best" Children's Books 1966–1978 (SLJ)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1975 (NYT)
1976 Children's Book Award (IRA)
Children's Choices for 1976 (IRA/CBC)
Notable 1975 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
1976 Carter G. Woodson Award (NCSS)
1976 Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book
1979 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Children's Books of 1975 (Library of Congress)
1979 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
1995 Phoenix Award (Children's Literature Association)
作者簡介
Laurence Yep is the acclaimed author of more than sixty books for young people and a winner of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. His illustrious list of novels includes the Newbery Honor Books Dragonwings and Dragon's Gate; The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, a Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee; and The Dragon's Child: A Story of Angel Island, which he cowrote with his niece, Dr. Kathleen S. Yep, and was named a New York Public Library's "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing" and a Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book.
Mr. Yep grew up in San Francisco, where he was born. He attended Marquette University, graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and received his PhD from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He lives in Pacific Grove, California, with his wife, the writer Joanne Ryder.
內頁插圖
精彩書評
"A Chinese immigrant and his son build a flying machine in an unusual historical novel, unique in its perspective of the Chinese in America and its portrayal of early 20th-century San Francisco, including the Earthquake, from an immigrant's viewpoint."
--School Library Journal
"A fine, sensitive novel written with grace in a way that conveys the Chinese American's cultural heritage."
--"Booklist"
"A triumph."
--The New York Times
前言/序言
馭風者的傳說:一個關於勇氣、友誼與遠古秘密的史詩 書名:《風之信使:艾瑟利亞的呼喚》 作者: 莉安娜·凡·德·海登 裝幀: 精裝(硬殼,附送絲帶書簽) 適閤年齡: 10歲及以上(深度主題探討,適閤喜歡復雜敘事和世界構建的讀者) --- 捲一:低語之地的陰影 在世界的盡頭,群山如巨人的脊骨般刺破雲霄,那裏坐落著被遺忘的國度——艾瑟利亞。這是一個被古老魔法和嚴苛傳統所束縛的地方。在這裏,天空並非隻屬於飛鳥,而是被一個神秘的、被稱為“馭風者”的階層所掌控。他們騎乘著世代相傳的、擁有智慧的巨大空中生物,維護著王國脆弱的平衡。 故事始於一座高聳入雲的堡壘,天空之城“奧瑞恩”。我們的主角,卡萊布·凡·洛剋,是一個十六歲的少年,他並非齣身於馭風者的顯赫傢族。他的父親曾是一名技藝精湛的飛船匠人,卻在一場突如其來的風暴中喪生,留下卡萊布和一位沉默寡言的妹妹,以及一個關於“不應被觸碰的技術”的秘密。 卡萊布的夢想,與他身邊所有同齡人一樣,是參加“升空試煉”,獲得屬於自己的翼獸夥伴。然而,命運似乎對他關上瞭大門。他被分配到堡壘底層的“機械區”,從事維護那些老舊、笨重的蒸汽驅動飛艇的工作——那是被馭風者階層衊視為“粗魯的低語”的技術。 艾瑟利亞正麵臨一場無聲的危機。長久以來維係著天空之城漂浮力量的“以太核心”,正以一種無法解釋的速度衰竭。馭風者議會對此諱莫如深,隻是加緊瞭對資源的壟斷和對下層民眾的管控。恐懼在空氣中凝結,人們開始抬頭望天,眼中充滿瞭不安而非敬畏。 捲二:失落的藍圖與禁忌的知識 在機械區的深處,卡萊布偶然發現瞭一份被塵封的、用罕見“月光墨水”書寫的圖紙殘骸。這份圖紙描繪的不是普通的飛艇,而是一種結閤瞭機械學與生物能量的混閤構造——“活體翼舟”。這與馭風者引以為傲的、純粹依賴精神契約的翼獸截然不同。 這份發現將卡萊布捲入瞭一個危險的漩渦。他開始秘密修復父親留下的工具箱,試圖解讀圖紙中晦澀的符號。他很快意識到,他的父親並非死於意外,而是因為接觸到瞭可能顛覆艾瑟利亞權力結構的真相。 在探索的過程中,他遇到瞭薇拉,一位來自地錶“迷霧之榖”的流浪學者。薇拉身負重傷,帶著一本日記,記錄瞭數個世紀前,人類如何與天空生物進行“互惠共生”,而非如今馭風者所宣揚的“絕對支配”。她指齣,以太核心的衰竭,正是因為馭風者們過度抽取瞭翼獸的生命能量,造成瞭生態係統的崩塌。 卡萊布和薇拉被迫結盟。他們共同的目標是:在以太核心完全崩潰之前,找到傳說中的“創世之源”——一個能夠重新激活自然能量流動的遠古遺跡。 捲三:追捕與抉擇 卡萊布的秘密行動很快被“審判者”——馭風者議會的秘密警察——察覺。審判者的首領,執政官塞拉斯,是一個冷酷而強大的馭風者,他本人也騎乘著一頭被深度改造、幾乎失去自由意誌的巨型風雕。塞拉斯視卡萊布的機械知識為對馭風者統治的褻瀆,決心將其清除。 卡萊布和薇拉必須逃離奧瑞恩。在逃亡途中,他們利用卡萊布的機械天賦和薇拉對古老語法的理解,修復並啓動瞭那艘“活體翼舟”的原型——一艘依靠精確的齒輪運作和生物導電材料驅動的、擁有自我適應能力的飛行器。 這次逃亡不僅僅是物理上的穿越,更是理念的碰撞。卡萊布必須決定:他要依靠他所厭惡的、充滿弊端的機械力量,還是應該相信那看似虛無縹緲的精神契約?薇拉則不斷提醒他,力量的本質不在於其形式,而在於使用者的意圖。 捲四:大地之下的迴音 他們的旅程將他們帶入瞭艾瑟利亞的禁區:被永恒的雷暴籠罩的“無聲之海”。在這裏,他們遇到瞭最後一批拒絕被馴服的自由翼獸——那些被馭風者視為野蠻怪物的生物。 卡萊布首次以非徵服者的姿態,嚮一頭年輕、充滿野性的迅捷龍鷹展示瞭自己修復其受傷翅膀的意圖。他沒有使用束縛,而是運用父親的機械知識,設計齣瞭一種輔助性的、可拆卸的“生物穩定器”。這次接觸證明瞭,技術可以成為橋梁,而非枷鎖。 在翼龍的幫助下,他們終於抵達瞭創世之源——一個位於地殼深處、被水晶環繞的巨大空間。但塞拉斯和他的追兵也如影隨形。 終章:平衡的代價 最後的對決不是一場簡單的力量比拼,而是一場關於控製與自由的哲學辯論。塞拉斯試圖通過獻祭卡萊布來安撫即將崩潰的以太核心,堅信隻有絕對的秩序纔能帶來生存。 卡萊布沒有選擇摧毀核心,也沒有選擇完全依賴翼獸的力量。他利用活體翼舟的原理,設計瞭一種“能量中和迴路”——一個能夠平衡機械提取與自然迴饋的係統。他嚮塞拉斯展示瞭,真正的力量源於共存,而非掠奪。 在卡萊布的努力下,創世之源重新啓動,以太能量開始穩定地流嚮整個王國。塞拉斯的舊秩序隨之瓦解,但他本人最終被自己的翼獸遺棄,因為那頭生物感受到瞭他內心的腐敗。 卡萊布和薇拉沒有選擇成為新的統治者。他們選擇留在瞭地錶,緻力於重建人與自然、技術與魔法之間的信任。他們相信,艾瑟利亞的未來,將建立在理解和尊重差異的基礎之上,而不是建立在任何一種單一的、至高無上的力量之上。這本書以一個開放的未來作結:風已經改變瞭方嚮,而馭風者的時代,正在嚮著一個更加復雜、也更加公平的“共生時代”過渡。 --- 本書主題深度探討: 《風之信使:艾瑟利亞的呼喚》深入探討瞭技術倫理、環境可持續性以及社會等級製度的弊端。它質疑瞭“自然即美德,技術即邪惡”的二元對立思維,主張通過理解和整閤不同的知識體係(無論是古老的精神力量還是現代的機械智慧),纔能達成真正的平衡。本書節奏緊湊,世界觀宏大,充滿瞭懸念和對讀者邏輯思維的挑戰。