Circle of Cranes

Gr 7–10—On his deathbed, Suyin's grandfather, angry at his dead daughter-in-law, demands that the child be forbidden to learn embroidery, despite the fact that as a member of the Miao minority group in Guizhou Province, China, her worth as a woman is based on her skills with a needle. When her village chooses the 13-year-old to be smuggled to America, she feels even more rejected. After a treacherous voyage in the cargo hold of a ship, she ends up in a New York sweatshop, working to pay off her debt to the smugglers. What keeps her going is her desire to prove her worth to the Sisterhood of Cranes—a secret society of women who can transform into birds and keep the world of people and nature connected. Suyin's tribulations offer a glimpse into the horrifying world of human trafficking and sweatshops. Her time with the Sisterhood balances the horror of her daily life and gives her strength to help with the garment workers' strike, which leads to a tidier and happier ending than most children with paths similar to Suyin's experience. While many elements of the narrative structure and story will appeal to younger readers, the brutality and violence that the girl endures, especially as a friend takes a job at a seedy massage parlor, requires more mature readers.—Jennifer Rothschild, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Oxon Hill, MD