Rebels of the Heavenly Kingdom

I never really learned much of the Taiping Rebellion, so this was an interesting book to share with my kids as a read-aloud, during our history study. An interesting piece of historical fiction. This is definitely more YA than middle grades. I skipped over some short parts, as my 7 y.o. listens, too......more

An interesting, intense YA novel that focuses on how military life, religious indoctrination, and violence can change a person, for better and for worse. Unique in that its focus in on a little-remembered (in the West anyway) war in China with the protagonists speaking as cultural nobodies who are c......more

This was an interesting story about a time and place that I am not at all familiar with, 1850's China. I am debating whether I would recommend it to my teens. It is so full of culture and history, but at the same time the realities of issues such as concubines and prostitution are not my favorite.......more

Not enough is said about this insane period in history—basically everything I know about it I learned from non-Chinese sources; in a book on China I have, it appears as a mere footnote, despite causing a greater estimated number of casualties than WWI. That said, I appreciated this book as a bold ef......more

Audible Plus 7 hours 4 min. Narrated by George Guidall (A) This is an intriguing introduction to the Chinese culture set 1850 and the Taipang Rebellion. Paterson is a talented writer, and her childrens books have more awards than those of any other writer. Her books cause the reader to challenge what......more