Seesaw Girl

I loved this book. It was delightful and so well-written in every way - though I expected no less from this great author - and I'm so glad a friend recently convinced me to read it. The plot was perfectly formed and paced, the characters were vivid and well-developed, the themes were thoughtful and natural, the setting was rich, the illustrations were charming and delightful, and the writing style was eloquent, lovely, and lively. I only wish this little book was longer.

I loved Jade, the main character, most of all. I loved her joyfulness, brightness, laughter, mischief, and enjoyment of life despite the hard things. I loved her kindness, compassion, empathy, noble character, and desire to do what was right despite her mistakes and show more failings. And I loved her intelligence, curiosity, and desire to know things even in a society in which these things were frowned upon for girls. I felt each one of her range of complex emotions deep in my heart. I felt her immense joy, and I hurt for her and was saddened as she went through the pain, hardship, and confusion of living as a young girl in a society in which women were severely restricted. In her culture, noblewomen like her were forbidden from ever leaving their homes their entire lives, and they faced lives devoted only to domestic homemaking and arranged marriage. Jade deals with the pain, sadness, and loss of all these things and of living her whole life inside the walls of her home. And she finds ways to push against her boundaries while learning to be content. This book was perfect to help satisfy my desire to learn about and read stories about the role of women in history, and how they may have dealt with it, especially in time periods when women had less freedom.

In addition to the protagonist, the other characters were wonderful as well, especially Jade's family members, who were lovely and well-developed. I loved Jade's healthy, strong, sweet, and loving relationships with her close family members, especially her older brother, her mother, her father, and her aunt. All of them were so sweet, and I loved Jade's interactions with them and love for them. I loved her conversations with her brother, mother, and father and her close relationship with her young aunt, who was more like a sister to her.

I loved how the author wove in rich details of the historical setting and important events. I learned so much about a time and place in history I haven't sought out or enjoyed in the past, and the story brought it to life and made me feel invested and interested in it, something only this author has done with this particular area of history. I really loved how Jade's father was involved with the events of history that happened in the book, and I admired and respected his wisdom and resolve to do what he believed was right and good. The events the author portrayed were fascinating, and she dealt with them accurately and allowed the main character to witness them in a believable way. I really appreciate this author's faithfulness in historical accuracy while making her books engaging - and her books are all masterful in every other way as well. I've loved her book A Single Shard since I was very young, and I only wish I had tried more of her other books sooner than this.

4.5 stars show less

On the one hand, I enjoyed the depiction of women's lives in medieval Korea very much (fascinating!), and I was extremely pleased that there weren't more serious consequences for Jade's misdemeanors. On the other hand, her discovery of art seemed almost like an afterthought, tacked on at the end, and it didn't quite gel for me. I am fascinated by the Korean seesaw -- sounds tricky, dangerous and invigorating. Great short read.

This book is about a girl named Jade who lives in Korea and comes from a very rich family. Jade loves life and wants to enjoy the beautiful things of the world like the outside landscapes and art. However, in Korea, Women are not allowed outside of the house until they are married. At the time, Jade is just young girl and she is very defiant against these strict rules. Jade does everything she can think of to do the things that she wants to do. She finds ways to get out of the house, and she finds ways to do things that only men were allowed to do. Jade was not going to let anyone or any rules stop her from living! What will her father have to say about this? Will she get caught and punished? Will she have to wait until she is married show more to ever see the outside the world? This book is great for 7th or 8th graders because it touches on cultural differences as well as gender norms and expectations. The book covers very heavy topics that are good for middle schoolers to hear. This book could open up great discussions in the classroom. show less

Overall, I really liked Seesaw Girl by Linda Sue Park. The main character, Jade Blossom, is very relatable. She is curious and yearns to be independent. However, I will say that she is probably less relatable to male readers. The plot is interesting, Jade Blossom is looking for independence from her male dominated culture and goes on an adventure to try and find this by visiting her recently married cousin. At the end, she seems to accept her life although she still enjoys some curiosity and adventure. There are also occasional illustrations throughout the book that I feel like really helped me picture the setting in my mind while reading the book. I think Seesaw girl is a great book for coming of age girl readers.

Jade Blossom can never go beyond her family's inner court. All girls from good Korean families must learn to sew, do laundry, and work in the kitchen. This prepares them for their future lives in their husbands' inner court.
Jade has other interests. She longs to take trips to the mountains and the marketplace. If only she could read and paint, but these are things only boys can do. Jade won't stop thinking about the world beyond the high walls of her home. Then one day she secretly sets off to do what no other girl her age has ever done before.

I really enjoyed reading 'Seesaw Girl', and the illustrations every few pages made me, as the reader, not rely on illustrations, but the illustrations made the characters come alive in my mind. The book was engaging, and I couldn't put it down. However, it felt as though the book was rushed. While reading, there was an incident which was a big part of the plot, but the consequences of the incident were so small in comparison to the action it seemed to be skipped over. Also, the book seemed to end abruptly without concluding on all of the character's story lines. It seemed to just leave some story lines just trailed off into nothing.

This chapter book is about Jade, a girl who lives in Korea but does not agree with the gender limitations. All she wants to do is live life past the rules and limits, however, she is not allowed to leave until she gets married. Jade does not let that stop her and she finds all kinds of ways to escape and explore and simply have fun and do things only men could do. As she adventures out, she finds herself and realizes what women really go through. This book is intended for a more mature audience such as upper middle school and it covers topics teens should be aware of such as gender roles and expectations.