Synopsis

A Boy.
His Pendant.
A Magical Tree.

In rural China during the New Year celebrations, Kai receives devastating news. A poor harvest spells disaster unless his mother accepts a job in the city caring for a wealthy family.

Abandoned in his mountainous village, Kai is desperate to bring his mother home. He gives in to superstition and unlocks the secrets of the Great Fire Tree. The Great Fire Tree will grant Kai’s wish—for a terrible price. With the help of his new friend Xinying and his trusted piglet, Kai will make a sacrifice to make his family whole.

Justine Laismith weaves together Chinese mystique and rural charm in an enchanting tale of an antidote that kills and an amulet that curses.

Excerpt

Kai fetched his basket. It was wide and deep enough that if he curled himself into a ball, he could fit in it. Two pieces of cloths were tied to it in a loop shoulder length apart, forming the shoulder straps for him to carry the basket on his back. Yee Por held the basket for him while he threaded his arms through.

With the bucket inside and Piglet on a rope, Kai descended toward the thick bushes. Down the mountain path and past the soft green that grew around the clearing to his favorite Dragon’s Pearl Tree, the tall tree with enormous fruit that went uneaten. To Kai, it was such a wasted effort; even more so last year when the tree tried to brighten up the dry season with heavy blossoms. They were unusual flowers; instead of branches, they stuck out directly from the trunk. But like any flower, the petals fell and produced its fruit.

“The birds would not eat them, so we mustn’t eat them either.” He remembered what Ma had said.

Every tree and every rock down that familiar path to the river reminded him of Ma, how he used to charge ahead with Pink Belly, whacking the bushes and frolicking in the clearing until Ma caught up with them.Today, he did not feel like playing with the new piglet in the same way.

He had always gone with Ma to fetch the water. She was stronger and carried the bigger bucket. He carried the smaller one. It only took fifteen liters.

Without Ma, the road back was windier and more treacherous. The burden of the water weighed him down as he lumbered upward. Thank goodness Piglet was only tiny and seemed to know how to handle the uneven terrain, grass or rock, upward or downward. He rested his tired legs and shoulders every few meters. But each time he stopped, he listened for voices. He did not want to be caught resting by the school bullies. Especially now he was on his own.

On one of these breaks, he heard a rustle. Then a pair of huge feet appeared on the path.

Review

This is a wonderful story for a child of any age (yes even the adults).  It deals with a subject that is sadly prevalent in China and possibly other parts of the world, children that are left behind in rural areas while the parent goes to a larger city to work and earn money to support the family.  Usually, the children are left with other family members or friends, but not always.  It doesn’t matter who they are living with, it is never the same as being with your own parents.

This particular story follows Kai.  Kai has quite the imagination for a young boy but it helps see him through some rough times while he is missing his parents, mostly his mother.  While there is no magic in the terms we might think of for magic, there is something magical that happens with Kai and his belief in a jade pendant, belief in a recipe that he has followed for some unedible fruit from a specific tree, and learning that maybe life can be better than he ever imagined.

This story teaches us about self-reliance and perseverance in going after what you want from life.  There are also two sentences in this story that stand out and could be the key for anyone reading this book and their outlook on life.

“We can all choose what we do, whether we wanted to let the setback really set us back.”  

“So I decided I would be like him, and be happy for what I have.”

I enjoyed reading this story and learning more about rural Asia.  The book is appropriate for any middle grade or older person.  We give it 4 paws up.

About the Author

Justine Laismith is the winner of the Beyond Words: Young and Younger writing competition, who published her chapter book, The Magic Mixer. She grew up in Singapore and has worked in the UK pharmaceutical, chemicals, and education sectors. When not writing, she takes far too many pictures on her phone. She now lives in England.

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