I read them all awhile ago and I liked the Dear America Royal Diaries better.

Minuk- This story was depressing and it made me feel bad to be an Anglo-American. I liked it for the most part until about halfway through. I did not like the missionaries and I felt horrible for Minuk's people. I did like learning about the culture though.

Cecile-I thought it was OK but the ending was kind of fairy tale-ish. I studied a lot of French culture in school so Cecile's story wasn't new or exciting to me at all.

Isabel-I liked Isabel a lot. She was an appealing character and I don't mind 21st century type girls in a historical setting.

Neela-I didn't like this one at all. The author didn't do a good job of describing what things were or why they did certain things. I looked in the glossary and saw a definition "a kind of tree" well I want to know what the tree looks like so I can picture it. The story was OK.

Leyla- This book was OK but I thought it dealt with some issues that may not be apppropriate for all readers. I can't remember much about this one for some reason.

Kathleen-I didn't like this story at all. I thought Kathleen was bratty and immature. At 12 she should know better than to pray for a dress and I thought the plot was a bit predictable.

Spring Pearl-this one was my second favorite. Laurence Yep is a great writer but this story was a LOT like the Royal Diary he wrote. Betsy-I think the names Oriole and Spring Pearl, etc. are translations of Chinese names.

Saba- I liked Saba's book the best. It was about a culture I was unfamiliar with and the author did a great job explaining the whys and hows and details I wanted to know. Saba was a brave girl with an interesting story. I thought it ended too soon and I wanted to know what happened next!

<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ March 15, 2005 01:34 PM: Message edited by: QNPoohBear ]</font>