Seesaw Girl

Impatient with the constraints put on her as an aristocratic girl living in 17th-century Korea, 12-year-old Jade Blossom determines to see beyond her small world.

Jade Blossom can never go beyond her family's inner court. All girls from good Korean families must learn to sew, do laundry, and work in the kitchen. This prepares them for their future lives in their husbands' inner court.

Jade has other interests. She longs to take trips to the mountains and the marketplace. If only she could read and paint, but these are things only boys can do. Jade won't stop thinking about the world beyond the high walls of her home. Then one day she secretly sets off to do what no other girl her age has ever done before.

Linda Sue Park is also the author of The Kite Fighters. She currently teaches English as a second language.

Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng came to the United States from Taiwan. They have illustrated many children's books.