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Li Bai's Shadow Summary

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Recommended: Tang dynasty rise and fall

Do you believe in spirit guides? How about imaginary friends? Li Bai’s Shadow is a young adult book that is based on these concepts. It was written by Lee J. Mavin and focuses on Li Bai, a historical figure who lived during the Tang Dynasty of China. He was a wine drinker, a wanderer, and a famous Chinese poet. In the present era, he attaches himself to Caitlin, a motherless Australian girl who suffers from OCD. Having been her imaginary friend since she was an infant, the spiritual poet accompanies her to China when she decides to run away. Pleased to be back in his native land, Li Bai decides that it is time to share his special bottle of wine with Caitlin. Soon, the pair is traipsing through ancient China, reliving fragments of the poet’s life during the Tang Dynasty. The story follows Li Bai, Caitlin, and her loved ones, who end up journeying to …show more content…

I enjoyed reading about the reality of modern-day China, which included the problem of pollution and the busyness of the city’s streets. The text is also sprinkled with Chinese food, drinks, multiple historical figures from ancient China, and places of interest such as the Goose Pagodas in Shanxii Province. In my opinion, the storyline of this book is extremely unique. The concept of imaginary friends is one which is usually explored in children’s books, but the author was able to implant it into a young adult story without making it seem childish. Additionally, real historical events and figures are incorporated into the plot. The fusion of these is unlike anything I have ever read. However, the worst feature of this book is the number of errors it contained. In addition to spelling errors, I noticed that many sentences lacked articles and prepositions. Also, some sentences do not make any sense, such as, ‘Li Bai smiles and pulls out from his a small piece of wood with characters is red.’ This book is definitely not professionally

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