Dragonfly Eyes

  

Bibliography

Cao, W. (2022). Dragonfly Eyes (H. Wang, Trans.). Candlewick Press. (Original Work published 2016). 

ISBN9781536200188

Plot Summary

This story follows a family for 50 years and three generations. Ah-Mei and her French Grandmother, Nainai, share a deep bond between granddaughter and grandmother. Some believe it is because they do not resemble the rest of their Chinese family, and it could be because she is the only granddaughter. Through the story, we watch how politics and war make 1960s Shanghai a hard place to grow up, and racism and bigotry are at an all-time high. Ah-Mei and her family suffer, but the family connection makes them stronger.

Critical Analysis

Dragonfly Eyes is a historical fiction novel written as a multigenerational saga by one of China’s most esteemed children’s authors, and it takes readers from 1920s France to a ravaged postwar Shanghai and through the convulsions of the Cultural Revolution. This book is for middle-grade/young-adult readers who could relate to Ah Mei. Through her experiences, readers witness the loss of innocence, the importance of family, and the effects of political movements on ordinary people. However, that age range is experiencing life moments that could compare to Ah Mei’s feelings and relate to them in their own ways. 

One of the most important themes in the novel is family loyalty. We observe how Ah Mei’s family supports one another, even when their own lives become increasingly difficult. Her parents and Nainai make sacrifices to protect the family and preserve normalcy. But the normalcy is not enough to protect Ah Mei’s innocence. She starts as a carefree child, but as she grows, she starts to see unfair treatment, fear, and tragedy. Then the death of Jin Zhiyuan is the turning point to show how serious the situation has become. Ah Mei’s perspective gives readers the experience of confusion and sadness that many people felt during this period; it makes it more personal. 

The title Dragonfly Eyes symbolizes observation and perspective because Dragonflys can see from many angles. I believe Cao Wenxuan is encouraging readers to look at history through different viewpoints. The novel encourages readers to think about history not as events of the past, but to think of the people during that time and their experiences.

Review Excerpts

Profound. . . Told via an omniscient third-person perspective that alternates between Nainai’s past and Ah Mei’s present day, Cao delicately portrays atrocities alongside peaceful, idyllic life with aesthetic prose and nostalgic imagery, providing a tender look into one transnational family’s ancestry.

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This atmospheric work translated from the Chinese renders the trials and tribulations befalling the family of Du Meixi. . . By turns sentimental and tragic, the plot juxtaposes quotidian details against factual historical background, including Japan’s 1937 invasion of China, in illustrating the family’s plight.

—Kirkus Reviews

A worthwhile addition to historical fiction shelves.

—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

A novel that brims with tenderness. . . readers get a sense of history without a history lesson—the greater lesson being, perhaps, the vulnerability of individuals in a system that grants them neither dignity nor value.

—The Wall Street Journal

Awards and Recognitions

SELECTION 2023 ALSC Notable Children’s Books

SELECTION 2023 NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies

HONOR 2023 The Mildred L. Batchelder Award

Connections

• Have students research a topic that interests them and have them write a paper from the point of view of someone their age living through it. 

• Have discussions about moments in the book that students felt like they could relate to what Ah Mei was feeling or going through.