Geraldine McCaughrean,
The Kite Rider
Oxford University Press, 2001.
ISBN: 0192751573

Geraldine McCaughrean's second book on the [Carnegie Medal] shortlist is The Kite Rider . Set in thirteenth century China, this is a fascinating and exciting adventure about greed, loyalty and friendship. Haoyou witnesses his father's death and feels powerless when the man responsible demands to marry his mother. Hauyou is determined not to let this happen, but must find the means to support his mother if he is to prevent it, so he joins a travelling circus. Strapped to a kite, he takes to the skies and amazes audiences across the land, including the feared Kublai Khan. The characters are richly drawn in this moving and powerful historical tale. Age 11+

Reviewed by Sarah Harrington
Summer 2002