# Dragonwings

**Author:** Laurence Yep
**Lexile:** 870L
**Grade range:** Grades 6–8
**Age range:** 11–14
**First published:** 1975
**Page count:** 248
**Genre:** Historical Fiction
**ISBN-13:** `9780064400855`
**ISBN-10:** `0064400859`
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/book/dragonwings
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## About this book

In early-1900s San Francisco, a young Chinese boy named Moon Shadow joins his father Windrider, who dreams of building a flying machine. The Newbery Honor novel depicts the Chinese-American immigrant experience, Chinatown life, and the 1906 earthquake. It appears on the Common Core Appendix B grades 6-8 exemplar list.

## Themes

- immigration
- Chinese-American experience
- family
- dreams
- perseverance

## Content notes

- period racism
- violence

Common Sense Media age recommendation: 11+

## Where this book is assigned

### Common Core State Standards (ELA)

- **recommended** · 6th grade — [source: CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 6-8 story exemplar](https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/standards-instruction/appendix-b-text-exemplars-and-sample-performance-tasks.pdf)
- **recommended** · 7th grade — [source: CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 6-8 story exemplar](https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/standards-instruction/appendix-b-text-exemplars-and-sample-performance-tasks.pdf)
- **recommended** · 8th grade — [source: CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 6-8 story exemplar](https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/standards-instruction/appendix-b-text-exemplars-and-sample-performance-tasks.pdf)

## Banned / challenged record

Documented removals or formal challenges in at least one school district in 1 state: TN. Source: [PEN America's Index of School Book Bans](https://pen.org/banned-book-list/) 2022-2024.

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