Why read Lady of Ch'iao Kuo?

Book cover of Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South, Southern China, A.D. 531

Book description

Readers can embark on an extraordinary journey to Southern China in the 6th century A.D. where they will meet sixteen-year-old Ch'iao Kuo, a born leader called Red Bird, whose bravery and brilliance is unrivaled.

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Historical fiction

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Why read it?

1 author picked Lady of Ch'iao Kuo as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Jessica Dall

Author

Is this a children’s book? Yes. Yes, it is. Since ten-year-old me can still remember reading it, however, (particularly a paragraph about how special it was to be able to read and write in sixth-century China—which blew ten-year-old me’s mind) it’s still going on the list. Lady of Ch’iao Kuo is also one of the Scholastic Royal Diaries series, which I devoured as a younger reader, and is fabulous as a whole. It includes both well-known (another Elizabeth I book? Yep) and more obscure historical figures, all written about in a way that allows children to connect to them.…

From Jessica's list on historical fiction in lesser-known settings.