REVIEW OF WHEN THE SEA TURNED TO SILVER

 

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lin, Grace. 2016. WHEN THE SEA TURNED TO SILVER. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hatchette Book Group, Inc. ISBN 9780316125925.

 

B. PLOT SUMMARY
Pinmei lives with her grandmother, Amah, in a hut on a mountain in China. One day the Emperor’s soldiers come to the hut, set fire to the hut, and take Amah away. Pinmei and her friend Yishan try to figure out how to rescue Amah.

Along the way they meet Lady Meng who agrees to accompany them. Together they go to the City of Bright Moonlight in search of a way to rescue Amah. When they arrive in the city they go immediately to the king of the city, King KaiJae. They find out that he is being held captive by the Emperor. King KaiJae is unable to help them rescue Amah. All he can do is help them get away from the Emperor.

Later, Lady Meng leaves them to seek her husband. Pinmei and Yishan continue on their way. They believe that if they can give the Luminous Stone That Lights The Night to the Emperor, he will return Amah to them. They go to speak to the Sea King in the Crystal Palace at Sea Bottom. After speaking with the Sea King, they realize that they cannot get what they need at Sea Bottom.

After leaving Sea Bottom Pinmei and Yishan make their way toward the Emperor’s palace. Along the way they find the Luminous Stone That Lights The Night. They take it to the Emperor’s palace. At the palace, they defeat the Emperor and rescue Amah.

 

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
The story begins by speaking of the “Tiger Emperor” whose soldiers are taking men from the villages to build his “vast wall.” This “Tiger Emperor” in the story is possibly the first emperor of China, founder of the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang. He has been credited with building much of what would become the Great Wall of China, which could be this “vast wall” mentioned in the story.

In “The Story of the Paper of Answers” a king figures out how to deal with flooding in his kingdom by rerouting the local river into a productive irrigation system. This saves his kingdom from internal strife. This fictional story reflects something that actually happened in ancient Chinese history. Over 2,250 years ago King Zhao of Qin, in the Sichuan province of China, did the same thing to the River Min which had been causing flooding in his kingdom. The irrigation system is still in place and operating effectively to this day.

After Pinmei and Yishan return to the burnt hut, they find a quilted jacket made of hundreds of colorful patches. This kind of traditional Chinese needlework was sometimes created as a protective talisman for the wearer. The Han Chinese ethnic group was known for making these garments. The jade bracelet that falls out of the jacket in the story has an important standing in Chinese culture. Jade bracelets are some of the most important types of jewelry in Chinese culture.  

The City of Bright Moonlight in the story is reflective of the Chinese city of Beijing (Peking.) As a walled city, it has existed for over 3,000 years. The book describes a walled city within the city. This corresponds with Beijing which also has a walled city within the city. The walled city within the city has existed for over 600 years. The inner walled city has been known as The Forbidden City for over 447 years.    

When Pinmei, Yishan, and the Lady Meng are in the City of Bright Moonlight, they are fed tea-stained eggs, pickled plums, and roast chicken. These are traditional foods of China. Tea eggs have been written about as far back as 1792. Later when Pinmei is telling “The Story of the Scars of Stingy Rice” another traditional Chinese food is mentioned: Lion Head Pork Meatballs. The dish has a documented history going back over a century, and an undocumented history going back to the Sui dynasty, over 1400 years ago, in folktales and mythology. Personally, I enjoyed this splendid dish as an English teacher at Cornel Language School in Taiwan in the late 1990’s. Our school cook, “Goo Mama”, would make it once a week for the students and staff. We loved it!   

The illustrations in the book are beautifully done. They add to the feel of the Chinese culture which permeates the story. Some of the illustrations are monotone, while others have bright colors. They are all extremely evocative of Chinese artwork.   

At the end of the book, the author provides a bibliography of the books that inspired WHEN THE SEA TURNED TO SILVER.  

This book skillfully weaves many traditional Chinese mythologies and folktales into an adventure narrative. Readers of all ages will enjoy this book, but children and young adults will take particular pleasure in how the children in this story outwit the evil adults that they encounter.

 

 

 

 

 

D. AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
New York Times Notable Children's Books of 2016

The Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of 2016

Amazon Best Books of 2016 Pick

Booklist Editor's Choice 2016

Barnes & Noble Kids Blog 10 Notable Middle Grade Novels of 2016

School Library Journal Best of 2016

Bank Street College of Education 2017 Best Children's Book of the Year

School Library Journal: *"Lin's vibrant chapter decorations and full-color, full-page paintings add to the work's beauty....A stunning addition to a deservedly beloved set of novels; recommended for all middle grade collections."― starred review

Horn Book: *"On its own, this third volume contains a richly complex adventure story that revisits previous themes....The three books together, however, offer one grand epic that spans generations....Lin's stonecutter claims that storytellers 'can make time disappear...bring us to places we have never dreamed of...feel sorrow and joy and peace'; the description is a fitting one for author-illustrator Lin herself, who has proven herself a master."― starred review

Kirkus: *"The meticulous craft delivers what Lin's fans have come to expect... This beautifully told companion to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (2009) and Starry River of the Sky (2012) offers lyrical storytelling, bringing 'us to places we have never dreamed of.'"― starred review

Booklist: *"Lin's evocative language sweeps readers away, and the stories within the story are juicy and delicious....[A] worthy companion to her Newbery Honor book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (2009) and Starry River of the Sky (2012)."― starred review

 


E. CONNECTIONS
This story is a collection of Chinese mythology and folk tales placed into a narrative that binds them together. It could be said to be a Chinese version of the Arabian collection known as One Thousand and One Nights.   

Here are the other two books in the series by Grace Lin that ends with WHEN THE SEA TURNED TO SILVER:

Lin, Grace. WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. ISBN 9780316038638.   

Lin, Grace. STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY. ISBN 9780316125956. 

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