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Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Clarion Books (June 12, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0618596313
ISBN-13: 978-0618596317
Kevin heard a man's voice from somewhere on the other side of his room. "Show me your hands, Strange One." A grim voice. "Stand--slowly--and show me your hands."
Kevin is trying to remember what he's supposed to do if there's an intruder in the house--stay calm, don't look scared, call 911. At the same time, he's doing his best to figure out how the heck some guy with a bow and arrows got into the room. The archer's explanation--"I lost my balance, fell off the tiger, and landed here"--just adds to Kevin's bewilderment.
The stranger's astonishing arrival is only the beginning of a dazzling adventure. For the man, whom Kevin calls Archer or Archie, has come from a centuries-old Korean kingdom. And Kevin must find a way to send him back through space and time...before history is changed forever.
Reviews:
From Kirkus: "An exciting novel for male readers, both reluctant and engaged."
From Publishers Weekly: "The relationship between Kevin and Archie, and their race against the clock...will keep the pages turning."
From KLIATT, starred review: "This new offering from the Newbery Medal-winning author of A SINGLE SHARD...will intrigue and amuse readers."
From the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "Effective storytelling, middle-grade humor, and a quic
From Booklist
Gr. 4-7. Twelve-year-old Kevin is shocked when Chu-mong, legendary ruler of ancient Korea, suddenly arrives with his bow and arrows in Kevin's room in Dorchester, New York. But Kevin is drawn to the brave stranger, who must return home before the Year of the Tiger ends the next day and history is changed forever. Park's A Single Shard, the 2002 Newbery Medal Book, is set in historic Korea, and her recent novel Project Mulberry (2004) is set in a contemporary Chicago suburb. This time she weaves together past and present. Although she works in too much informational content into the story--Korean history, math, folklore, the Chinese Zodiac, and more--the time travel in reverse is fun, especially Kevin's attempts to explain computers, cars, telephones, and zoos to the bewildered ruler. At the same time, the cool teen who "couldn't care less about his heritage" does learn to respect the old ways, and readers caught up in the adventure will want to find out more about the culture; Park's notes at the end of the book will help. Children who liked Grace Lin's The Year of the Dog (2006) about a Taiwanese girl, and are ready for a more difficult story, might enjoy this novel as well. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7 Park weaves Korean history and lore into a time-travel fantasy. Sixth-grader Kevin is home alone in Dorchester, NY, when an arrow flies through the air, pinning his baseball cap to the wall. Imagine his surprise to find a man claiming to be Koh Chu-mong, the Great Archer from a Korean kingdom in the first century B.C., in his bedroom. Archer claims to have fallen off the tiger he was riding, and has somehow landed in Kevin's bedroom. Much humor comes from the clash of the ancient and the modern. Archer is amazed and at times frightened by cars (surely powered by dragons), telephones, the computer, lights, and even a bed. Kevin, the grandson of Korean immigrants, is an ordinary kid, bored by school, especially history class. He feels that he is very different from his father, a programmer at a local university who loves math and precision. However, the need to get Archer back in time makes Kevin step up to the challenge. He takes the man to the local museum, but that idea doesn't help. A suspenseful trip to the zoo to see the tiger seems promising, but that tiger is from India, not Korea. During their wanderings around town, Archer tells wonderful stories of Korean history and legend. Finally, Kevin uses all his powers of reasoning and deduction to find the solution to Archer's quest to return home. In the process, the boy learns that ordinary people can do extraordinary deeds and comes to appreciate his dad. Although perhaps not as great as previous, award-winning books by this author, this tender title is still most worthy of attention. Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
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