Kingdom of Characters (Pulitzer Prize Finalist)

Author: Jing Tsu
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735214743
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Book Description
PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST A New York Times Notable Book of 2022 What does it take to reinvent a language? After a meteoric rise, China today is one of the world’s most powerful nations. Just a century ago, it was a crumbling empire with literacy reserved for the elite few, as the world underwent a massive technological transformation that threatened to leave them behind. In Kingdom of Characters, Jing Tsu argues that China’s most daunting challenge was a linguistic one: the century-long fight to make the formidable Chinese language accessible to the modern world of global trade and digital technology. Kingdom of Characters follows the bold innovators who reinvented the Chinese language, among them an exiled reformer who risked a death sentence to advocate for Mandarin as a national language, a Chinese-Muslim poet who laid the groundwork for Chairman Mao's phonetic writing system, and a computer engineer who devised input codes for Chinese characters on the lid of a teacup from the floor of a jail cell. Without their advances, China might never have become the dominating force we know today. With larger-than-life characters and an unexpected perspective on the major events of China’s tumultuous twentieth century, Tsu reveals how language is both a technology to be perfected and a subtle, yet potent, power to be exercised and expanded.

China in Ten Words

Author: Yu Hua
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0307739791
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Book Description
From one of China’s most acclaimed writers: a unique, intimate look at the Chinese experience over the last several decades. Framed by ten phrases common in the Chinese vernacular, China in Ten Words uses personal stories and astute analysis to reveal as never before the world’s most populous yet oft-misunderstood nation. In "Disparity," for example, Yu Hua illustrates the expanding gaps that separate citizens of the country. In "Copycat," he depicts the escalating trend of piracy and imitation as a creative new form of revolutionary action. And in "Bamboozle," he describes the increasingly brazen practices of trickery, fraud, and chicanery that are, he suggests, becoming a way of life at every level of society. Witty, insightful, and courageous, this is a refreshingly candid vision of the "Chinese miracle" and all of its consequences.

Journey to the West (2018 Edition - PDF)

Author: Wu Cheng'en
Publisher: Asiapac Books Pte Ltd
ISBN: 9812298894
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 177

Book Description
The bestselling Journey to the West comic book by artist Chang Boon Kiat is now back in a brand new fully coloured edition. Journey to the West is one of the greatest classics in Chinese literature. It tells the epic tale of the monk Xuanzang who journeys to the West in search of the Buddhist sutras with his disciples, Sun Wukong, Sandy and Pigsy. Along the way, Xuanzang's life was threatened by the diabolical White Bone Spirit, the menacing Red Child and his fearsome parents and, a host of evil spirits who sought to devour Xuanzang's flesh to attain immortality. Bear witness to the formidable Sun Wukong's (Monkey God) prowess as he takes them on, using his Fiery Eyes, Golden Cudgel, Somersault Cloud, and quick wits! Be prepared for a galloping read that will leave you breathless!

The Electric Kingdom

Author: David Arnold
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593202244
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 449

Book Description
New York Times bestseller David Arnold's most ambitious novel to date; Station Eleven meets The 5th Wave in a genre-smashing story of survival, hope, and love amid a ravaged earth. When a deadly Fly Flu sweeps the globe, it leaves a shell of the world that once was. Among the survivors are eighteen-year-old Nico and her dog, on a voyage devised by Nico's father to find a mythical portal; a young artist named Kit, raised in an old abandoned cinema; and the enigmatic Deliverer, who lives Life after Life in an attempt to put the world back together. As swarms of infected Flies roam the earth, these few survivors navigate the woods of post-apocalyptic New England, meeting others along the way, each on their own quest to find life and love in a world gone dark. The Electric Kingdom is a sweeping exploration of art, storytelling, eternal life, and above all, a testament to the notion that even in an exterminated world, one person might find beauty in another.

Adventure Kingdom

Author: Steve Foxe
Publisher: Adventure Kingdom
ISBN: 9781524869823
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
Travel through the wishing well with Clark and Karoline--two kids who discover their beloved Adventure Kingdom is more than just your average theme park. From Epic Originals, this fantastical story collection serves up twists, turns, and never-before-seen Adventure Kingdom artwork, activities, and park memorabilia! When Clark sneaks into Adventure Kingdom, all he wants is a peek at the remains of the once-magical theme park he loved as a kid--plus a cool livestream for his fans. But then he meets Karoline, the granddaughter of the park's creator, and the two of them discover that the magic of that place was never just an illusion. With the help of an enchanted coin and a talking monkey with questionable loyalties, they set off to find what they've both lost and rescue Karoline's mysterious granddad. Through the characters' adventures, readers learn the importance of: - Problem solving - Cooperation - Trusting others - Second chances

Force of Fire (The Fire Queen #1)

Author: Sayantani DasGupta
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 1338636669
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 261

Book Description
From New York Times bestselling author Sayantani DasGupta comes the story of a demon who must embrace her bad to serve the greater good. Pinki hails from a long line of rakkhosh resistors, demons who have spent years building interspecies relationships, working together to achieve their goal of overthrowing the snakey oppressors and taking back their rights. But she has more important things to worry about, like maintaining her status as fiercest rakkhosh in her class and looking after her little cousins. There is also the teeny tiny detail of not yet being able to control her fire breathing and accidentally burning up school property.Then Sesha, the charming son of the Serpentine Governor, calls on Pinki for help in defeating the resistance, promising to give her what she most desires in return -- the ability to control her fire. First she'll have to protect the Moon Maiden, pretend to be a human (ick), and survive a family reunion. But it's all worth it for the control of her powers . . . right?

Transcendent Kingdom

Author: Yaa Gyasi
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 052565819X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK! • Finalist for the WOMEN'S PRIZE Yaa Gyasi's stunning follow-up to her acclaimed national best seller Homegoing is a powerful, raw, intimate, deeply layered novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama. Gifty is a sixth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Stanford University School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school athlete who died of a heroin overdose after an ankle injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her. But even as she turns to the hard sciences to unlock the mystery of her family's loss, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the evangelical church in which she was raised, whose promise of salvation remains as tantalizing as it is elusive. Transcendent Kingdom is a deeply moving portrait of a family of Ghanaian immigrants ravaged by depression and addiction and grief—a novel about faith, science, religion, love. Exquisitely written, emotionally searing, this is an exceptionally powerful follow-up to Gyasi's phenomenal debut.

To Kill a Kingdom

Author: Alexandra Christo
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
ISBN: 1250112680
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description
Lira, a famous siren, must prove herself by stealing the heart of the man, a siren-hunting prince who's threatening her race in this action-packed debut.

Kensuke's Kingdom

Author: Michael Morpurgo
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 0545300134
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 101

Book Description
A young boy is stranded on a small island with a mysterious man who shows him how to survive in this adventure story by the acclaimed author of War Horse. When Michael’s father loses his job, he buys a boat and convinces Michael and his mother to sail around the world. It’s an ideal trip—even Michael’s sheepdog can come along. It starts out as the perfect family adventure—until Michael is swept overboard. He’s washed up on an island, where he struggles to survive. Then he discovers that he’s not alone. His fellow-castaway, Kensuke, is wary of him. But when Michael’s life is threatened, Kensuke slowly lets the boy into his world. The two develop a close understanding in this remote place, but the question of rescue continues to divide them. Praise for Kensuke’s Kingdom “[A] poignant adventure story . . . This well-crafted story has all the thrills and intrigues of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet . . . and Theodore Taylor’s The Cay . . . and it will resonate with the same audience.” —School Library Journal “Highly readable.” —Booklist

The Search for Treasure (Geronimo Stilton and the Kingdom of Fantasy #6)

Author: Geronimo Stilton
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 0545658950
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Book Description
Geronimo's sixth magical expedition! I, Geronimo Stilton, was shocked to find myself back in the Kingdom of Fantasy for a sixth time. I was needed to fulfill the Ancient Gemstone Prophecy!The evil empress of the witches was after the Royal Sapphire. If she united it with her Royal Ruby, it would give her immense power. The entire Kingdom of Fantasy was in danger! It was up to me to find the two gemstones first, with the help of new friends -- and this time, I had to travel in disguise. Cheese niblets! What an incredible journey!