Li Lun, Lad of Courage

After Li Lun is unable to overcome his fear of the sea and fails to learn how to fish, he is branded a coward by his family and village and banished to a barren mountaintop. No one has been able to farm on this land in generations, but Li Lun must make his rice seedlings flourish before he is allowed to return home. Can he win the battle against the elements, wild animals, and his own loneliness?

Well, this is a fine read, quick, lively, interesting. The illustrations by [a:Kurt Wiese|45902|Kurt Wiese|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] are super and really enhance the story.

However, there's so much here that's so very similar to [b:Call It Courage|462207|Call It Courage|Armstrong Sperry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347315277s/462207.jpg|842981] that it feels to me as if I'm reading two entries in a series called 'brave boys on foreign islands' or something!

But I've decided to rate it unto itself, and give it 3.5 stars, rounded up because I really liked the adult characters even though I wouldn't have noticed them much as a child reader.

Newbery Honor discussion Jan show more 2017 in Children's Books group. show less

A young boy is shamed by his father for being too afraid to go on the family fishing boat with him, who makes him take seven grains of rice up the mountain to plant and harvest. Li Lun braves the elements and lives on his own for four months, determined to bring a successful rice harvest back down the mountain to prove his worth.
Meh. A bit dated and not overly engaging. Certainly not one of the better Newbery Honor Books.

The story of Li Lun, Lad of Courage begins with Li Lun hiding behind a tree stump. Li Lun is hiding behind the tree stump because he is afraid of the ocean. Every kid and their father are preparing for a fishing voyage. Once a boy were to reach the age of ten they would have to go on the voyage, Li Lun resist to go. Li Lun is then found by his father Teng Lun. Teng Lun and Li lun get into a fight. After the fight Teng Lun tells Li Lun that he must climb to the top of Lao Shan and plant seven rice seeds and Li Lun can only come back if he has brought seven times more seeds. Li Lun then prepares his journey at his house in the village of Three Firs. Li Lun lives here with his three younger brothers and a baby sister, two cats, and three show more ducks. His mother was packing his food and clothing. While she does this Li Lun wonders how to grow rice and his mother tells him that Sun Ling might know. Sung Ling tells him that he must grow the rice for one hundred and twenty days. Li Lun says goodbye and starts his journey. During his trip Li Lun tries to feel brave and proud. Li Lun then finds a cave before dark and finds that it is quite lonely. When morning rose Lin Lun started planting the seeds and placing the soil Sun Ling has given him. During his long waiting of growing the rice he goes through many challenges.

First challenge is that there were many seagulls wanting the rice. Second there were many rats who wanted the seeds. Later Li Lun woke up and found his flag he had placed to scare birds was ripped and that two plants were eaten by rats. As Li Lun protected the seeds a priest came giving him the other piece of the flag. Later problems were that many of his food had mildew, which he had later found a solution to this problem. The next problem was a drought which he nearly had to go back and forth for fresh water and between each time animals ate away at the rice. Leaving only one stalk left Li Lun quickly harvest it and took it to the church for the priest had said he would show the people what Li Lun had done. In the end the priest showed the people that Li Lun was a brave boy and that since rice was able to grow on the island he would make the church a rice field. In the end the father had nothing to say. I thought this book was entertaining and it has an interesting story. show less