tI’m going to start off by saying Archer’s Quest by Linda Sue Park was one peculiar adventure. The thought that its tale lasted only a day is quite stunning! There were only four major settings, and two main characters which was awesome for me because some books just have too much to keep track of. I loved the cover because it’s so comic like, but at the same time realistic. The book has a nice feel when I hold it in my hands: smooth and glossy. It was really easy to read as well with the font being extra big so my eyes didn’t have to work as hard. This is something I find often attracts me to books. I rather it have more pages with larger words and more spacing, then less pages that are crammed with tiny words. Now going back towards the actual content of the book, this was truly a unique tale. There were multiple parts in the book where you could sense the author’s voice and style. She took magic, a cool tale, and some Korean culture and mixed them together to make this. Park also intrigued me with the way she brought her characters to life. “Archie,” also known as “Skillful Archer” and Koh Chu-mong is frequently portrayed as a man of a different world. He’s always examining new objects and taking in his surroundings. The way he is described makes it clear that he is being very cautious and is a man of many different traits. Archie is constantly on his feet and ready for action. At times it can seem as though he is a bit arrogant, but I find his character very humorous because he is so unique. He is a proud man with lots of honor, although he also knows the value of modesty. I captured numerous Asian essences throughout the book, and because of Park’s Korean background it was easy to get a feel of her style and voice. One good example that shows all of Park’s wonderful techniques is when Archie scolds Kevin the other main character:tHe tried to remember if his parents had ever said anything about being burgled. Let them take whatever they want, just don’t get hurt--something like that. He raised his hands a little higher. “Um take whatever you want, okay? Can I--can I help you find something?”tThe man faced Kevin again. “So many questions,” he said sternly. “Have you no manners? I am the elder of us. I ask the questions, and you do not speak except to answer.” (Park 7)tFirst I should probably say a little about Kevin. Kevin is the boy whose life Archie popped into. Archie basically terrorized Kevin by shooting an arrow that took his hat straight off and holding him at arrow point or whatever you want to call it. Now that we know about Kevin, the first thing that we see in the quote above is how Park lets us see Kevin think to himself. We read his thoughts so we can understand how he feels and what his thought process is better. When you’re in someone’s mind, you can see what’s really going on in there. I may have assumed Kevin was making up a plan to temporarily distract Archie and then flee if Park hadn’t written down his thoughts. Secondly, we see a sense of Asian tradition where elders are much respected, “I am the elder of us. I ask the questions, and you do not speak except to answer.” (Park 7) Archie speaks sternly which infers that he is scolding or teaching. It’s kind of like, “Don’t you know any manners?” And there we have it, two birds one stone. Park gives us an understanding of traditional Asian background, while also helping us understand what both characters are like. Kevin is mindful of what his parents teach, and Archie comes from a place that must be very traditional.Another event that helps show Archie’s personality was when he first showed up in Kevin’s room and was holding Kevin at “bow point.” The two had not yet established a feeling of trust between one another, but throughout the story they grow closer as Kevin aids Archie in his quest to return to his homeland. I didn’t discover how significant trust was to Archie until he talked about tigers and the fact that Kevin’s family honored tigers allowed him to trust Kevin more. Time after time trust came up as Archie feared he could not trust Kevin in fear that he was an enemy. This consistency is part of Park’s technique to develop her characters. Just little events like the light turning on and Archie fearing that Kevin was trying to blind him are used to show how unfamiliar our world is to Archie and how important it is for Archie that he can trust those around him. Even with the computer Archie needed to insure trust!tOne last technique that I really wanted to point out was the usage of lingual references. At one point in the story, Kevin calls his grandparents to help who are explained to be from Korea. He refers to them as “Ah-jee” and “Ah-mee” since he could not pronounce the Korean words “Har-abuji” for grandfather and “Halmoni” grandmother. Telling us the words in Korean pulls us deeper into this Asian theme. It’s a part of Park’s voice and she’s trying to express that through Kevin. I once did this with one of my pieces of writing by using Vietnamese words (I'm of Vietnamese ethnicity) and explaining rather than simply English. To me it helps show your personal side through your writing, while at the same time deepening your reader’s understanding.tIn the end, there are multiple more examples that I could give, but there are so many good examples that I’d go on forever. I even wanted to quote the example about turning on lights, but had to shorten it down! And I didn’t even get to talk about the restaurant they went to! So many great examples, which only goes further into how Park manages to create a short tale that has so much depth. Nothing really happens throughout the book, but because there is so much to understand about each character and their background it is enough to make your mind go wild.
This book was awesome. It accomplishes several things. It teaches values and can help people take more interest in history. It's exciting. It's short (not drawn out more than it needs to be, for what it is). It's strange (we could all use a good dose of time-traveling Korean archers riding tigers now and then).Anyway, I read a few accounts of Chu-mong on some old, public domain books (on books.google.com). It's pretty interesting, but there are considerable differences between the legends I saw and those in the book. All the accounts aren't the same. I wonder where Linda Sue Park got her version.This book is considerably different from A Single Shard, by the same author. It's fantasy, and in a modern setting. It's not at all the same type of book—but it's still really good, I think.I think kids would love this book, too. I'd like to hear their opinions on it.I liked the references Kevin (the main character) made to his dad's being a computer programmer, even though the Keven didn't seem to relate to it at all, at first.One thing that's a little weird is that Archer keeps wanting shoot things when they pose the slightest threat (although don't worry about this too much; he doesn't go on a killing spree, or anything—I think it's just meant to add suspense or something, and maybe some comic relief, and/or drama).I'd like to read more books by this author. I've exhausted the books that the library has on CD, though—so I'll have to find time to read them normally, I guess, until/if they get more.People seem to think this book is targeted at older kids and young adults—however, I think normal and younger kids would appreciate it most; not because it's more simpler or has younger characters (though it is short and has a young main character), but because it's intriguing in the sorts of ways that I think would delight them (and help them be interested in history in the process).Fans of The Indian in the Cupboard (the book—not the movie) should like this one, I think.The narration of this as an audiobook was very good.
What do You think about Archer's Quest (2006)?
I would rate this book as seven because I thought the plot of the story was dragging on. However I believe the message of this story would connect well with the students as they may have similar motives when it comes to finding the worth of homework. This book would be good to use in a classroom during a lesson about the importance of history. As our future is effected by our past and this book shows the importance to why the main character should be more engaged in his history assignments. In the book the main character Kevin learns along the way more about about his Korean ancestry as well as Korean folklore and legends as he interacts with this mysterious archer that just magically appeared in his room one night. This book would also be good for students to read when studying the fantasy genre. They could break apart as to why this book is a fantasy and how they could relate to something that isn’t necessarily true. Characterization is a literary element that would be good to pull out from the book. The author does a good job describing the character traits that make up the main characters. We could do a lesson on how the author shows character motives from their dialogue. For example in the book we know that the Archer is not from the same time period as Kevin because of they way he addresses Kevin
—Josie
Now that was a cool book. A Korean king from the distant past magically appears in the bedroom of a modern tweenage boy. While the boy, Kevin, teaches the king, Archer, about the modern world, Archer teaches Kevin what it means to be a hero. Archer's Quest gives you some nice lessons through time travel.What I liked about this book:• The character arc of our hero kid Kevin--he comes around from being a history-hater to someone who appreciates the perspective that the past brings us.• You learn about Korean history.• As a water tiger, naturally I enjoyed this.• Skillful Archer is a wise, sincere, and memorable character. He's a guy I'd like to hang with.What I didn't like so much:• Oh the pacing was a little slow, but the stories were so great that it didn't matter!Kids who are addicted to action might not like this book, but there is a lot to learn from the teachings of Skillful Archer. Let's hear it for tigers!
—gina
My kids (ages 8 and 11) might have given this a 4. I'd give it a high three. They have willingly listened each night and always ask for another chapter. It's a time-travel book of Chu-mong from Korea 55 B.C. to Kevin in 2003 (or so) and them figuring out how to get him back where he belongs. References to internet searches, math in your head, a few good moral lessons (on being deceitful and what is a lie, being "good" etc.), just the funny experiences of someone who hasn't seen modern life, having him fit in or at least not be noticed with his clothes and bow/arrows.
—Rene
