Elizabeth D. Schafer (Children's Literature)
Miu Miu, age 15, seeks justice for her swordsmith father’s murder in this “Forbidden Tales” series novel. The narrator, Ar Kin, an elderly book dealer, told the author this story during China’s Cultural Revolution. Themes of honor, loss, and vengeance guide Miu Miu, who feels spiritually connected to her deceased father who was slain prior to her birth. Her mother demands Miu Miu leave their Goose Village home to find Tong Ting, her father’s apprentice’s son who was chosen to become Miu Miu’s husband, and together kill Emperor Ching, who ordered her father’s torture and death. She says Tong Ting will have the other half of a necklace Miu Miu wears to prove his identity. Miu Miu, dressed as a young man, carries a treasured sword forged by her father, and practices wu shu, warrior martial arts moves Master Wan taught her, as she travels toward the emperor’s palace. Fighting a stranger who insults her, Miu Miu realizes her opponent is her betrothed. Together, Miu Miu and Tong Ting outsmart guards to enter the Tang Dynasty capital, Chang’an, and scheme how they will assassinate the emperor. Violence and supernatural events emphasize the despair, betrayal, and courage Miu Miu experiences. Miu Miu and her mother represent strong females whose devotion and sacrifice for family endures. Pair with Adeline Yen Mah’s, Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society (2005). 2008, Laura Geringer Books/HarperCollins Publishers, $16.99. Ages 10 up.

Rachel Wadham (Childrens Book and Play Review, May/June 2008 (Vol. 28, No. 5))
On her fifteenth birthday, Miu Miu finds she is not to be wed like most girls, but is to avenge the death of her father who died by the hands of the emperor. Her betrothed, Tong Ting, who was pledged at birth to assist Miu Miu on her mission, joins her in exacting revenge. Using all their courage, luck, and cunning, the pair face their enemy but are ultimately outmatched in martial arts skills. Failing in their quest, the two are prepared to die, but they are saved by mystic forces that give them another chance at life. Full of beautiful language and stunning cultural details, this novel is filled with lots martial arts action that will certainly appeal to many readers. Overall, however the story lacks cohesion. The author frames the narrative as a story within a story. The beginning is told by an unrelated storyteller, which is traditional but peculiar in this case since these characters are never mentioned again. Additionally, the main story's plot jumps around so fast readers feel a sense of whiplash making the events very hard to follow. Lastly, there is no motivation for the characters beyond traditional cultural norms, which are abandoned so quickly in the end that no emotional link is formed between book and reader. Even with these flaws, this novel's beautifully rendered setting and the eloquent descriptions of Kung Fu action make this novel a fun, appealing, fast paced read. Rating: Dependable. Reading Level: Young adult. Category: Adventure stories. 2008, HarperCollins, 240 p., $17.89. © 2002, Brigham Young University.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2008 (Vol. 76, No. 14))
In the China of the Cultural Revolution, Ar Kin returns to his village after years spent in prison for speaking out against Communism, bringing with him a library of forbidden books and a head full of forbidden tales. One such is that of Miu Miu, who instead of seeing the matchmaker on her 15th birthday undertakes the task of avenging the murder of her father's murder, a swordmaker put to death by the Emperor after making the perfect blade. Miu takes another of her father's weapons and sets off disguised as a boy. After several adventures, she meets her betrothed, and the two plot to kill the emperor together. Miu Miu, like Ar Kin, the teller of her tale, defies tradition and the ruling powers and is punished, but survives. Ar Kin's tale of revenge and mystical Kung Fu takes place in ancient China, and both the era and the characters come to life. Fans of Asian martial-arts movies and manga will be satisfied and eager for the second volume, due in the fall. 2008, Laura Geringer/HarperCollins, 240p, $16.99. Category: Fantasy. Ages 12 to 16. © 2008 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, October 2008 (Vol. 62, No. 2))
Instead of being greeted by a matchmaker on her fifteenth birthday, as is the custom in her small Chinese village, Miu Miu is introduced to her destiny: she must avenge her father’s death by killing the emperor. Before she was born, her father fashioned a sword from magical iron for the emperor, who rewarded him by killing him to prevent an equal from ever being made. Her father had foreseen this response, so he had already fashioned a sister sword, and it is with this weapon and the skills she has secretly learned from her kung fu master over the past seven years that Miu Miu must go to face what she is certain will be her doom. Along the way, she meets the man betrothed to her since birth, and, after a near-fatal, let’s-get-acquainted fight, they take on the task together. The taut lines of folktale are embellished here with the fantastic lore of the martial arts, making for a highly visual plot that cries out for illustrations, crammed as it is with action, suspense, and magic-infused hand-to-hand combat in the style of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The moral that traditions, especially those that result in honorable death, ought to be challenged, aptly places these peasant characters in the triumphant trickster tradition, although the emperor has some sinister and nearly fatal tricks up his elaborately embroidered sleeves as well. Both established fans of martial arts film and lore and those who applaud folktales with strong female heroines will enjoy this quick taste of Tang Dynasty fantasy (Forbidden Tales) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2008, Geringer/HarperCollins, 240p.; Reviewed from galleys, $17.89 and $16.99. Grades 5-7.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2009)
In this vivid, action-packed story, Miu Miu and her betrothed make a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the wicked emperor who killed her father. After they escape, thanks in part to their martial arts training and her father's magical sword, Miu Miu decides--satisfyingly--to reject her desire for revenge and look to the future instead. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2008, HarperCollins/Geringer, 232pp, 16.99, 17.89. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Laura Woodruff (VOYA, December 2008 (Vol. 31, No. 5))
A Chinese folk tale by the popular author of Wandering Warrior and China's Son: Growing Up in the Cultural Revolution (Delacorte, 2003), the book begins as a young narrator describes the storyteller, an ex-convict and rare survivor of a twenty-year sentence in China's Siberia. At first shunned, Ar Kin becomes a respected teacher and source of books, which are routinely destroyed under the Communist regime. What follows is the tale that the narrator hears before Ar Kins' house is burned. Miu Miu, daughter of China's greatest sword maker, has never known her father. Commissioned to create a sword made of magic metal borne of a concubine, he was horribly murdered when he delivered the sword to the Emperor right before Miu Miu's birth. On her fifteenth birthday, Miu Miu learns that she is destined to avenge his death with the help of her betrothed, son of her father's assistant, whom she has never met. As her mother prepares her by disguising her as a man and unearthing her "female sword" made of the same metal, Miu Miu is secretly happy that she has become an expert in self-defense. She begins her long, uncertain journey with a joy and confidence that will be sorely tested. Vividly and poetically written, this novel is reminiscent of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It effectively uses folktale elements, including violence and magic, giving the story a flavor of authenticity and creating excitement and suspense. Simple vocabulary and fast-paced dialogue make it a winner. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2008, Laura Geringer Books/HarperCollins, 240p., $16.99. Ages 11 to 18.