Chinese / People's Republic of China
Yan huo
(Firework)
Li, Donghua
(text)
Wuhan: Chang jiang wen yi chu ban she (Changjiang Literature and Art Press), 2019. – 197 p.
(Series: Li Dong hua zhi cheng zhang xi lie)
ISBN 978-7-5354-9991-2
Adolescence | Leukemia | School | Peer group | Rivalry
Reading age: 10+
White Ravens issue: 2020
Everything is going well for Aimi, the top performing and most popular student. However, the arrival of Hana, that pretty and perfect girl, spoils all of this. Everything changes for Aimi when Hana is around, and she needs to deal with a strange feeling of jealousy deeply buried within her. It eventually turns out that this perfect girl has severe leukaemia. Her life is like the brief moment when a firework bursts into a beautiful sparkling display. The narrative is delicate and accurate in depicting an adolescent’s mind and heart. Readers are led through a seemingly common plot of peer rivalry to gain a special glimpse into the tragic side of human life. Li Donghua is a children’s literature writer representative of her generation. Her best-known books include “Zhu ben ben de xing fu shi guang” (The happy days of Folly Piggy) and “Shao nian de rong yao” (A boy’s honour). Among others, her works have won the Chinese National Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature. [FW, ZX]