The Distance of Hope - Hardcover

Hite, Sid

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 080505054X ISBN 13: 9780805050547

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1998

Synopsis

Yeshe Anjur of Padma is losing his eyesight and must journey across the Great Dream Lake and the Tigri Mountains to find the legendary White Bean Lama of Tigristan, who may be the only man who can restore Yeshe's sight.

About this title

About the Author:

Sid Hite is the author of many outstanding books for young readers, including Dither Farm, It's Nothing to a Mountain, Answer My Prayer, An Even Break, and Those Darn Dithers (all Holt). He lives in Sag Harbor, New York.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6 UpAThis is not a story of a teenager's journey into adulthood, but rather the outline of that story. Yeshe, a young nobleman, is losing his vision. His parents send him and a party of crack soldiers through enemy territory to find the White Bean Lama, a wise man who may or may not actually exist. Along the way, he renews an acquaintance with the daughter of another ruler and love blooms in his heart. Unfortunately, the story moves far too quickly to engage readers and many situations that could have been strong plot points are lost in the rush. For example, for all of their fears that enemy spies know of Yeshe's presence and relative vulnerability, there is no nagging worry dogging the party. Even Yeshe's romance lacks sparks. It is difficult to believe that one seasoned warrior is easily bamboozled into a stupid mistake and another never reads a map to figure out where the party is headed. The dialogue is so bland that it quite often needs a narrative explanation to convey meaning and emotion. The one-dimensional characters are difficult to tell apart. Even the protagonist never springs to life. For richly developed characters, realistic dialogue, and the quest motif, steer readers to David Eddings's Pawn of Prophecy (Ballantine, 1990), Lloyd Alexander's Taran Wanderer (Holt, 1967) and the Iron Ring (Dutton, 1997), and Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief (Greenwillow, 1996).APatricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 080505054X
• ISBN 13: 9780805050547
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 198