In China, rural families are only allowed to have 2 children, and boys are valued far more than girls. When Chu Ju's family has another girl, Chu Ju runs away so that her family will not sell her baby sister; they will have only 1 girl again. Chu Ju first finds herself accepted by a family of fishermen, who teach her all about fishing. However, they already have their allotted number of children, so once again, Chu Ju must leave. Next she finds herself working at a silk worm farm with other "orphan" girls, under a harsh woman who clearly loves the worms more than the girls. Chu Ju finds friendship with the other girls, but, once again must leave. She finally arrives, starving, at the home of a woman and her son, who are rice farmers. The son only wants to move to Shanghai, and hates farming. Chu Ju and the mother develop a close bond, and she finally finds a "family".

This book describes the effects of the Chinese Cultural Revolution as lived out by a teenaged girl. It is a quick read, and a decent introduction to a horrifying period of Chinese history. ( )

Juvenile fiction book about a Chinese girl that runs away because her parents have another baby girl and are going to sell her. The 14-year-old can't stand the thought of the baby being sold so she sacrifices herself. The story continues around what happens to her. Good descriptions of living in rural China. ( )

In rural China, only two children are allowed per family and every family wants at least one boy. Chu Ju knows that her parents will send her newborn sister away if she stays, so she runs away. As in Whelan's other books, she sents the reader to rural China, a place that few people outside the region know about. Excellent read, except the ending seemed a bit tacked on and unrealistic. Inexplicably and likely unrealistically, everything suddenly works out perfectly in the end for everyone ( )