Li Jun and the Iron Road

Gr 8 Up—In this book set in the late 19th century, Li Jun disguises herself as a boy and finds work at a fireworks factory while trying to find a way to travel to British Columbia and search for her long-missing father. She meets James, who is recruiting for his father's railroad company, helps him find workers, and saves him from gangsters. Once in Canada, she experiences the dangerous working and deplorable living conditions the Chinese workers face building the railway. While trying to keep her gender a secret, she searches for her father, uncovers corruption, fights for the safety of her countrymen, and tries to make sense of her growing feelings for James. This novelization of a 2009 Canadian miniseries sacrifices character development for a fast-moving plot. It is hard to get a sense of the passage of time, leading to a jarringly abrupt jump between James calling Li Jun "kid" and "buddy" and the two them in bed together. Focusing solely on the plot, it reads as a breakneck listing of events, with the various story lines too scattered to be cohesive. It lacks the backstory, sweep, emotion, and drama of the source material, leaving what should have been a heart-rending ending merely slightly bittersweet.