BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
The legend of Khutulun, a princess of Mongolia in the 1200's, shows her as a fierce competitor, like other women of her time, with a passionate desire to protect her family's land from other Khans and their armies. When she was old enough to marry, she would only marry the man who could best her in a wrestling match - and legend has it that she never lost a match.
While it is interesting to have a Mulan-like character from Mongolian history, Deng spends the most time showing us how strong Khutulun was, and that she refused to get married - never showing us how she protected her family. As a plot, that has little to recommend it for repeated telling - being famous for not marrying is not as compelling a story as saving all of China.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian
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