Dragonfly Eyes

In a story spanning three generations, a family, whose wealth brings them great honor, becomes a target for abuse and persecution during China’s Cultural Revolution due to their mixed heritage and possessions.

• Fiction, Historical Fiction
• Mildred L. Batchelder Award 2023 (Honor Title), Notable Children's Books 2023
• Age: Middle
• Format: Book
• ISBN: 9781536200188

Notes

Published by Candlewick Press. Originally published in Chinese as “Glass-Eye Beads” in 2016.

From the 2023 award press release:  “Dragonfly Eyes” is a beautifully written novel that spans three generations over a 50-year period and tells the story of a family whose wealth brings them great honor, yet during the Cultural Revolution their mixed heritage and possessions makes them a target for abuse and persecution. The evocative language allows readers to experience the settings in both France and China.

“Full of detail, the compelling story give the reader a sense of the insecurity and hatred that living in an unstable society can produce,” said Batchelder Award Committee Chair Barbara Scotto.