YEAR OF THE TIGER

Two 12-year-old boys from opposite backgrounds become unlikely allies in second-century China when barbarians threaten to breach the Great Wall and invade the Han Kingdom. Hu and his family are running a humble noodle stall in imaginary Beicheng when Ren and his father, Commander Xheng, arrive to oversee repairs on the Wall. Good-natured Hu aspires to win an archery tournament to help his family while arrogant Ren hopes to impress the Commander with his skill. Surreptitiously, the boys practice together, but as threats of invasion increase, they are separated when Ren’s father sends him away and Hu is wrongfully arrested for stealing grain. As Ren risks everything to return and exonerate Hu, the boys find themselves in desperate circumstances amid enemy forces preparing to attack. Brimming with details of daily life in the Han Dynasty, this fast-paced story alternates in the third person between Hu and Ren, progressing from summer to spring as their fledgling friendship grows, falters and eventually endures through many adventures and misadventures during the exciting Year of the Tiger. (glossary of Chinese names and words, map, prologue, epilogue & historical note) (Historical fiction. 10-13)