This is the first story I have come across about the Silk Road. I found the descriptions of the land and people quite interesting, and there was just enough adventure to keep me reading. The chnages that took place in both Chengli and the princess were quite good, too—it was fun to finally learn, at the end of the book, the truth behind Chengli's past.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

This book was a great adventure. I truly enjoyed every part of it. The book was easy to read and was accurate historical fiction. The book is fast-paced and filled with friendship and beautiful scenery.

I received the arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic read, a great introduction to kids into the world of history and the Silk Road, I highly recommend it if you like road trips and adventure.
The story is quite slow at first as it is laying down the setting and the characters, it pick ups it's pace along with the caravan where Changli is riding with, and then you just can't stop reading , this is such a ride, it really makes you feel you are in the desert with a caravan.
I didn't like much the ending because thought I felt the story was realistic enough the sudden compasión from people just didn't quite fit the rest of the book, but I get it's made for children and pre-teens so I understand the reasoning behind the outcome.

I enjoyed the story but I wish it had either been shorter or moved quicker. It touches in some important themes, and exposes younger readers to a time and culture they may be unfamiliar with. Good read overall.

This book gets a little boring about 3/4ths of the way through, but it's short enough that I was able to push forward and finish. It's a nice story for younger readers, and even as an adult I enjoyed the overall atmosphere of this book from the very beginning.

This book is a quick easy read. Gives some great descriptions of the way life was on the silk caravans. And how difficult it was. Even for a 13 year old. Especially, for a young man not yet grown into an adult body. Chengli is a very likeable character. He makes the book easy to want to read on. You just want to keep reading to see how he makes out in the end as well as how the princess is in the end as well. 3.5⭐enjoyable.

I made it through about half the book, hoping it would get better. Unfortunately it seemed to simply slog along, and my interest waned. For me it suffered through mid-book syndrome in that not enough was going on to carry the story forward.

What a great historical adventure read for children. Even for adults it was entertaining and full of characters that had you captured from the first market. Thank you for my Free ARC.

Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan is a historical fiction story for older children. But I would say that adults also can enjoy this story which is full of impressions of the Silk Road and nomadic life. There are some amazing details about the locations included. The reader is quickly drawn into a story and wants to know what happens next.

Chengli is an orphan boy who decides to join the caravan to learn about his father. His adventure takes us on the Silk Road and into the unknown.

This was a fabulous story about a topic that I have rarely seen in books for children. I love when the "unusual" topics are included in children's books. I think that this book is written in a way that will truly draw the reader to the story and will want them to keep reading!

Title provided for an honest review via Netgalley.

I love stories that involve other cultures. So many of them are underrepresented in the publishing world. Not entirely the case for young readers - the diversity is what gets them reading to begin with. Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan, is easily intriguing adventure full of its ups and downs. However, the one thing I didn't enjoy particularly is just how far in the past the story takes place. In some cases that is a good thing for fantastical and mythical reads, this however is a historical fiction set in A.D. I feel it may be hard for its intended audience to connect with in regards to setting when so many kids are heavily involved with technology. Also, given that I wonder if Chengli would need to be more relatable in that sense in order for the story to really bring in the reader. If they can't relate to the setting and journey, what about the main character sort of thing. 3.5 stars.

Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan (Hardcover)
by Hildi Kang
This is a great book for the kids to read. They will learn more of the trade and Middle Kingdom China than I have seen in many stories. I learned so many things I did not know prior. The young by Chengli wants to conquer the wind he is haunted by. He leaves his silk selling master to find a job with the wondering caravan going to the end of the China silk road. The character is remarkable, but the description of the life then was an amazing accuracy, young readers learn so much from the connection they will have with this young adventurer.

On the surface, Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan is a story about a boy searching for his father and his own history. However, through Chengli's experiences, the author instead allows the reader to take a journey through the historic Silk Road and learn about ancient Chinese culture along the way. This exposure is so needed in literature -- diversity in both setting, cultures, and eras is present in Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan. I think this book is extremely appropriate for middle grade readers, both in its content and its writing level. It's not too simplified, but it may present more of a challenge. The glossary of terms, explanation of locations and customs at the end of the book are a bonus. For readers not familiar with ancient culture, this glossary is a helpful tool to make connections to what they know.

This book has great imagery. The author's ability to describe settings is detailed without being excessive and allows the reader to picture crowded cities or arid deserts. I especially loved how the book started and ended with the wind, yellow with dust. Chengli's adventures also provide opportunities for the reader to think creatively and problem-solve along with him. Instead of it being a simple story, it's an opportunity to reflect on one's own approach to troubles.

I received my copy through NetGalley.
This was a charming and fun adventure; great for kids. It has a cool ending.

Chengli is an orphan who has worked as a servant all his life watching the caravans come and go. In a somewhat sudden decision, he chooses to leave everything he has known in order to join the next caravan heading off on the silk road laden for trade. However, before they can leave the caravan are ordered to take on transport of a carefully guarded princess, en route to a marriage awaiting her at the other side. Along the way Chengli learns more about the world and the father he's never know, experiences great cities and festivals, comes to learn more of the princess, and finds his own way.

As someone on the lookout for vivid non-western settings, I definitely did enjoy this. It's quite short, around 4 hours for me to read, and more geared toward children as a historical novel exploring life on the Silk Road, however well written enough it didn't strike me as boring or simplistic being an adult reader.

3.5 stars of 5

Chengli is an orphan living as servant of a silk merchant in the city of Chang’an, China, in 630 A.D. The wind of the desert attracts him and he decides to leave this life behind to go in search of answers of the true destiny of his father, of whom they have told him was an inspector who died when he was an infant.

From there develops the story of a journey of a caravan of goods on the famous Silk Road to the west. Bandits, sandstorms, hard work, harsh weather and thirst are day to day problems.

It also tells us how a child learn how to face various dilemmas, like what is true friendship, his own morals; and overall to know where his strengths and weaknesses lie.

Weakness: Towards the third part, the story drags a little, I think attempting to show the long long journey.

It kept me entertained, however. I read it in one go, looking for the places mentioned in the story, amazed at the fact that some of those wonders still exist, although of course much less than they were. I really like the different cultures, and the horsemen remembers me a little bit of a famous film; incredible that they too still are there.

** I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. **

My country does not have any desert. So when a story invites me to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of fabled desert route I take them immediately. And when a story evolve around the mesmerizing silk route, it grabs readers like me in a moment as we are waiting to experience that glorious journey on caravans there.

This book give us a the chance to have a look at the silk routes with Changli who is an orphaned and went with a caravan on silk route to find more about his father. Changli’s own adventure is very emotional as well as thrilled that we , the readers can thrust ourselves on the road and be a part of his journey without any hesitation.

I must say the book is very well written as the author is successful to make me feel all the sound , sights and rhythm of the beautiful and colourful caravans and their cultures moving on the Gobi desert. The beautiful writing explain nicely the feelings of Chengli to be lost in desert , to lost his identity in the desert with his father and his journey to find them all with his coming of age. What I really liked most is the character building of Changli. How he is always modest and honest to his elders but strong at the same time.

The plot progressed very quickly but the description of the environment was very vivid. This makes the book a quick read yet very much enjoyable. Others secondary characters were also interesting but I think the author could have played so much with ‘the fourth brother’ to make the storyline much more interesting. I actually llove the female character Meiling not ending up as heroin of Changli as there was not that kind of vibe I feel between them at all and at the end finding such no relation satisfied me .

the descriptions of the Silk Road makes a lively setting and that’s the main star of the book. It’s very hard to write good books for the middle grads. The author kept the book short but very nicely handled and goes for the straight story plot with balanced character development. Adults might get to struggle to enjoy this one but highly recommended for the middle graders.

Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan is a wonderful story about a young boy's journey to find his father. I loved how the story showed that people could change. I have two complaints however. One is that the story has a small amount of religion in it that I don't agree with. The only other problem is that it is really hard to put down. The princess's antics especially in the dunes nearly made me laugh out loud. (I was supposed to be reading quietly.) I wanted to cry when it ended. I just hate it when books end!!

A fictional historical novel that goes into the Silk Road trading route. I think this would be a decent novel to have kids read to learn a little bit about another culture and what it would have been like during that time period with the dangers people would have faced. It also gives an idea of how people treated each other in Chinese culture based on their status in a household or society. In terms of the actual plot beyond the historical context, it was a little dry, and the characters weren’t terribly interesting in my opinion, but I liked the basic ideas behind the novel.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10900245-chengli-and-the-silk-road-caravan