Elizabeth Foreman Lewis (1892–1958)

Young Fu is bound for seven years to be an apprentice to Tang the coppersmith, and his new life in the Chinese city Chungking is both exciting and terrifying. Young Fu endures the taunts of his coworkers, and must live by his wits on the streets, where restless soldiers will shoot a man if he does not carry a load for them, and beggars steal from those who pass them by.

Yet for Young Fu, the pleasures of the bustling Chungking of the 1920s far outweigh its dangers. Little by little he learns show more the ways of the big city and plunges into adventure after adventure as he gains confidence. Who would ever have thought a shy boy from the country would stop a break-in at the copper shop or brave the dreaded Fire Demon to help a foreigner? Young Fu's eagerness to help others and his acts of courage earn him many friends, and finally, more good fortune than he ever thought possible. show less

Young Fu is an incredibly likable character, and one roots for his success. I liked following his journey, and his growth is believable and engaging. Innovative-kid-survives-in-tough-situation is sometimes hard to do, and it's refreshing when done well.

The one problem is that there were a lot of slams on women. I normally don't have much of an issue with this, but there was something about the combination of the forward by the author (a woman) and then the little jabs in the third person show more narrator, not just character actions. So, that’s what sticks out in my mind. (Young Fu's mother is pretty awful, only because she’s stupid and incapable…but what do you expect? She IS a woman. Groan.) I liked the book, but I yearned for a more neutral narrator. show less

It took a little while to get into the story, but it turned out to be enjoyable. Content consideration: the mother offers money and incense to her various gods to keep her son safe. But the son repeatedly disregards the traditional taboos and finds out that the "dragons" (gods) aren't as powerful as the older generation fears.

This 1933 Newbery winner is an episodic story of a young Chinese farm boy who is taken to the city after the death of his father. He lives with his mother (who seems a bit neurotic to me as a 21st century American) and is apprenticed to Tang the coppersmith.
Each chapter is essentially a short story revolving around events at Tang's shop, or at home. The tales are infused with traditional Chinese wisdom as Young Fu learns lesson after lesson... most of them the hard way.
I doubt most modern show more American children would get into this story, but I hope I'm wrong about that. show less