The Vine Basket

by Josanne La Valley

Overview

"A haunting tale of artistic vision triumphing over adversity." —KirkusReviews

Things aren’t looking good for fourteen-year-old Mehrigul. She yearns to be in school, but she’s needed on the family farm. The longer she’s out of school, the more likely it is that she’ll be sent off to a Chinese factory . . . perhaps never to return. Her only hope is an American who buys one of her decorative baskets for a staggering sum and says she will return in three weeks for more. Mehrigul must brave storms, torn-up hands from working the fields, and her father’s scorn to get the baskets done. The stakes are high, and time is passing . . . will Mehrigul's hard work be enough?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544439399
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/04/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Josanne LaValley traveled across the Taklamakan Desert to the Hotan region of China, where she spent time among the Uyghur. The recipient of an MFA in writing children's books from Vermont College, Ms. LaValley lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

"In her debut novel, La Valley paints a memorable picture of this faraway people. . . . A haunting tale of artistic vision triumphing over adversity."
—Kirkus

"For many readers, this book may be their first introduction to the Uyghur people, and La Valley strongly evokes the culture and struggles of an ethnic group whose future is less than certain."
—Publishers Weekly

"Engages and teaches."
—Booklist

"An absorbing read and an excellent choice for expanding global understanding."
—School Library Journal, starred review

"The carefully honed plot and palpable family tensions...will resonate with most youngsters."
—Bulletin —

From the Publisher

The Vine Basket is Mehrigul's story first. The tight focus on her character engages the reader so that learning about Uighur village life happens as a consequence, all the more memorable for being rendered as story rather than lesson.

The New York Times Book Review - Linda Sue Park

In this debut novel, La Valley introduces Mehrigul, a 14-year-old Uyghur girl growing up in western China, who struggles with poverty, an alcoholic father and depressed mother, and government policies that could force her to be shipped off to work in a factory. Mehrigul’s grandfather has shown her how to create cornucopia-style baskets from grapevines, a departure from the traditional handicrafts of her region, and one of them catches the attention of an American buyer, who pays extraordinarily well and orders more baskets on a tight (and probably impossible) deadline. The use of the grapevines as a metaphor for Uyghur resilience is a bit heavy-handed, but the blossoming of Mehrigul’s artistic abilities and confidence are inspiring. Her loneliness and hopelessness in the face of many obstacles are also resonant, as is her longing to return to school, despite the pressure and need to help her family financially. For many readers, this book may be their first introduction to the Uyghur people, and La Valley strongly evokes the culture and struggles of an ethnic group whose future is less than certain. Ages 9–12. Agent: Marietta Zacker, Nancy Gallt Literary Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

In a remote corner of China, a Uyghur girl faces government oppression and family troubles. Mehrigul's people live on a land they call East Turkestan, located south of Russia, north of Tibet and east of Pakistan. For centuries, their lives had been defined by the Kunlun Mountains and the Taklamakan Desert as they eked out a living strong in cultural traditions. Now under the control of the Chinese government, they are being forced off their mineral-rich land, and girls are sent to work in factories far to the south. Mehrigul has a gift for weaving baskets--as does her beloved grandfather--and when an American woman spots a purely decorative one she has woven to decorate the market cart and offers to buy more, Mehrigul sees a way to preserve her family farm and continue her schooling. In her debut novel, La Valley paints a memorable picture of this faraway people. Mehrigul's efforts to weave baskets that are beautiful rather than functional fill the pages with absorbing detail and poignancy. She prays that her hands "might make beautiful work" and that like the bamboo vine she "must learn to bend but not break." Her mother's withdrawal and her father's alcoholism and gambling are countered by her steadfast determination to maintain her self-worth. A haunting tale of artistic vision triumphing over adversity. (map, note from Mamatjian Juma of Radio Free Asia, afterword) (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews