''Dragonwings'' is a

children's A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

Laurence Yep Laurence Michael Yep (; born June 14, 1948) is an American writer. He is known for his children's books, having won the Newbery Honor twice for his ''Golden Mountain'' series. In 2005, he received the biennial Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal for his c ...

, published by

Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

in 1975. It inaugurated the ''Golden Mountain Chronicles'' (

below Below may refer to: *Earth * Ground (disambiguation) * Soil * Floor * Bottom (disambiguation) * Less than *Temperatures below freezing * Hell or underworld People with the surname * Ernst von Below (1863–1955), German World War I general * Fr ...

) and it is the fifth chronicle in narrative sequence among ten published as of 2012. The book is used in school classrooms and has been adapted as a play under its original title. Yep and ''Dragonwings'' won the

Phoenix Award The Phoenix Award annually recognizes one English-language children's book published twenty years earlier that did not then win a major literary award. It is named for the mythical bird phoenix that is reborn from its own ashes, signifying the bo ...

from the

Children's Literature Association The Children's Literature Association (ChLA) is a non-profit association, based in the United States, of scholars, critics, professors, students, librarians, teachers, and institutions dedicated to studying children's literature.Margaret W. Denman- ...

in 1995, recognizing the best children's book published twenty years earlier that did not win a major award. It had been a runner-up for the annual

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

Content

''Dragonwings'' features the Chinese American experience in the United States, specifically

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, shortly after the turn of the twentieth century. The protagonist is Moon Shadow Lee, or in the Chinese order, Lee Moon Shadow. Moon Shadow grew up in China, having never seen his father, who had traveled to " The Golden Mountain" in America and worked hard in a family laundry which served the " white demons" (Americans). When Moon Shadow is nine (eight in American calculation), a distant relative, Hand Clap, returns to China for a visit and when Hand Clap returns to the United States, Moon Shadow goes with him. Moon Shadow is soon reunited with his father and receives a few wonderful gifts from his father, uncle, and new friend. From his uncle he receives a pair of new black leather boots. From his new friend he receives some trousers and a shirt. Finally, he receives a beautiful kite from his father, for whom kite making is a specialty. Moon Shadow found out that Windrider, his father, had a dream of a great dragon king. Windrider had found out he was a dragon in his former life and was determined to be worthy enough to again become a dragon. Moon Shadow supported and encouraged Windrider, even as they suffered hardships like the Great Earthquake, their poverty, and the gap between the Tang and white demons (Americans). He goes through situations with family and has to find his place in life. Part of the story is based on an actual event that took place in 1909 involving a young Chinese flier named Fung Joe Guey.

Awards

The CLA Phoenix Award is named for the mythical bird phoenix, which is reborn from its ashes, to suggest the winning book's rise from obscurity during twenty years since its publication. But ''Dragonwings'' was not unrecognized in 1975. It was a runner-up (Honor Book) for both the American Library Association

, recognizing the year's best U.S. children's book, and the

Boston Globe–Horn Book Award The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards are a set of American literary awards conferred by ''The Boston Globe'' and ''The Horn Book Magazine'' annually from 1967. One book is recognized in each of four categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonfiction, and P ...

for children's fiction. It won an

International Reading Association The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialo ...

Children's Book Award and it made ''School Library Journal'' and ''The New York Times'' annual booklists.

Play

''Dragonwings'' was adapted as a stage play by the author in 1991, commissioned by

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley. History The company was founded in 1968, as the East Bay's first resident ...

. It premiered as a school tour in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

and was directed by Phyllis S.K. Look. The play was published by

Dramatists Play Service Dramatists Play Service (also known as The Play Service) is a theatrical-publishing and licensing house, established in 1936 by members of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Society for Authors' Representatives. DPS publishes English-language ...

in 1993.

''Golden Mountain Chronicles''

The

family saga The family saga is a genre of literature which chronicles the lives and doings of a family or a number of related or interconnected families over a period of time. In novels (or sometimes sequences of novels) with a serious intent, this is often ...

follows the Young family, initially in China. ''Dragons of Silk'' (2011) spans a few generations and brings the story to the present; nine previous novels have been dated 1849 to 1995. # ''The Serpent's Children'', set in 1849 (1984) # ''Mountain Light'', 1855 (1985) # ''Dragon's Gate'', 1867 (1993) # ''The Traitor'', 1885 (2003) # ''Dragonwings'', 1903 (1975) # ''Dragon Road'', 1939 (2007); originally ''The Red Warrior'' # ''Child of the Owl'', 1960 (1977) # ''Sea Glass'', 1970 (1979) # ''Thief of Hearts'', 1995 (1995) # ''Dragons of Silk'', 1835–2011 (2011) In order of year of publication: # ''Dragonwings'', 1903 (1975) # ''Child of the Owl'', 1960 (1977) # ''Sea Glass'', 1970 (1979) # ''The Serpent's Children'', set in 1849 (1984) # ''Mountain Light'', 1855 (1985) # ''Dragon's Gate'', 1867 (1993) # ''Thief of Hearts'', 1995 (1995) # ''The Traitor'', 1885 (2003) # ''Dragon Road'', 1939 (2007); originally ''The Red Warrior'' # ''Dragons of Silk'', 1835–2011 (2011) Four of the ten historical novels are among Yep's five works most widely held in WorldCat libraries."Yep, Laurence"
WorldCat. Retrieved 2013-03-03. ''Dragonwings'' and ''Dragon's Gate'' were runners-up for the

; ''Child of the Owl'' won the

Horn Book Award Horn most often refers to: * Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments * Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

References

{{Reflist, refs= "Phoenix Award Brochure 2012"
{dead link, date=December 2016 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes .

. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
See also the current homepage
"Phoenix Award"

External links

"Dragonwings: Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903"
at HarperCollinsPublishers (with related material)
"Conversations with Yep and Soentpiet: Negotiationing between cultures: Establishing a multicultural identity through writing and illustrating"
Marcia Baghban. ''The Dragon Lode'' 18.2 (Spring 2000) pp. 41–51. IRA.

* ttp://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm ALA Newbery Medal & Honor Books, 1922-Present.
''Dragonwings'' Laurence Yep
children's drama at Dramatists Play Service (abstract with script for sale) Fiction set in 1903 1975 American novels 1975 children's books American children's novels American historical novels Asian-American plays Carter G. Woodson Book Award winners Children's historical novels Newbery Honor-winning works Novels by Laurence Yep Novels set in San Francisco Wright brothers