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Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company (August 11, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0440418518
ISBN-13: 978-0440418511
Reviews:
School
Library Journal, August 1999:
Life in 17th-century Korea is not easy for a girl, even for
the daughter of a wealthy family. Jade Blossom must learn to
do the laundry, sew the clothes back together after each washing,
help in the kitchen, and embroider flawlessly. Her world is
circumscribed by the walls of the Inner Court where she will
spend her life until she marries and then will be confined to
the Inner Court of her husband's household. However, when her
aunt and best friend since childhood gets married, Jade is determined
to see her again. Park maintains a fine tension between the
spirited girl's curiosity and her very limited sphere. Certainly
Jade looks for opportunities to expand her horizons, but after
her first disastrous foray to see Willow, she learns that those
chances have to come within the walls of her own home. The story
is full of lively action and vivid descriptions, enhanced by
appealing black and white paintings, to give a clear sense of
the period and reveal the world as Jade sees it. Even the minor
characters have substance. The girl's parents are understanding
but not indulgent. Her father is a thoughtful man, distant from
the family, but looking at the possibilities for the future
of his country. Her mother recognizes Jade's longings and shows
her that it is possible to be content with her life. Like Jade's
stand-up seesaw, Park's novel offers readers a brief but enticing
glimpse at another time and place.*
ALA
Booklist, August 1999:
In seventeenth-century Korea, a 12-year-old girl becomes aware
of the complexities of class and gender differences in this
historically enlightening story. Being of good family, Jade
Blossom is forbidden to leave home until she marries. But
curiosity leads Jade to secretly leave the Inner Court, a
brief but eye-opening adventure that reveals heart-wrenching
poverty, unexpected beauty, and the knowledge that her home's
high walls offer both shelter and imprisonment. However, Jade
discovers that creativity and imagination are powerful tools
that can provide comfort and internal freedom. In descriptive,
engaging prose, the story portrays the culture, traditions,
and daily lives of the Korean aristocracy in a time of political
and cultural change. Park sympathetically conveys the challenges
and joys of becoming an adult, and offers perspective on the
many meanings of "privileged." The lovely, delicate
illustrations detail traditional clothing, architecture, and
decorative arts for visualization and context. An author's
note briefly explains Korean history and the lives of aristocratic
women in the 1600s. Bibliography.
Kirkus
Reviews, July 1, 1999:
In 17th-century Korea, the life of a noblewoman is extremely
circumscribed: she leaves the inner court of her family home
only to marry, or to attend a funeral. Jade, 12, is deeply
attached to her older cousin Willow, and keenly feels the
loss when Willow is married. She pesters her older brother
Tiger Heart, however, to tell her tales of the market, the
king's court, and the strange prisoners with red and gold
hair; she longs to see the mountains she can barely glimpse
above the family compound wall. The seesaw of the title, a
Korean game, forms the climax of this quiet book and the key
to Jade's seeing beyond her tightly enclosed world. The writing
gracefully describes the extended structure of the family,
the differences in how boys and girls of noble birth were
educated, and the elaborate wedding ceremony. Park's afterword
tells of a Dutch ship that ran aground in Korea near the time
of the story, and what happened to the prisoners Jade's father
defended. The evocative descriptions and Jade's intensity
in creating new ways to learn will capture and hold readers.