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Mao's Last Dancer: Young Readers Edition

By Li Cunxin
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Mao's Last Dancer: Young Readers Edition tells the true story of Li Cunxin, a boy from rural China who rises against all odds to become a renowned ballet dancer. Through his determination and talent, he overcomes a challenging upbringing during Mao's Cultural Revolution to achieve international success, illustrating themes of perseverance and hope. The book is an inspirational tale of pursuit of dreams and personal transformation.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're inspired by true stories of resilience and determination. It follows a young boy's transformative journey from a poor village in China to becoming a world-renowned ballet dancer, offering an engaging glimpse into cultural change and personal triumph. Perfect for young readers interested in dance, history, or tales of overcoming the odds.

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One day, not so very many years ago, a small peasant boy was chosen to study ballet at the Beijing Dance Academy. His mother urged him to take this chance of a lifetime. But Li was only eleven years old and he was scared and lonely, pushed away from all that he had ever known and loved.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

One day, not so very many years ago, a small peasant boy was chosen to study ballet at the Beijing Dance Academy. His mother urged him to take this chance of a lifetime. But Li was only eleven years old and he was scared and lonely, pushed away from all that he had ever known and loved.

He hated the strict training routines and the strange place he had been brought to. All he wanted to do was go home - to his mother, father and six brothers, to his own small village.

But soon Li realised that his mother was right. He had the chance to do something special with his life - and he never turned back...

Visit the official Mao's Last Dancer Movie website at maoslastdancermovie.com.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780143301646

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 May 2005

Country: Australia

Imprint: Puffin

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 316g

Pages: 352

Collections

Children's Books Children's Fiction Children’s, Teenage and Educational Li Cunxin Penguin Books Young Adult

About the Author

Li Cunxin was born in 1961, in the New Village, Li Commune, near the city of Qingdao on the coast of north-east China. The sixth of seven sons in a poor rural family, Li's peasant life in Chairman Mao's communist China changed dramatically when, at the age of eleven, he was chosen by Madame Mao's cultural advisers to become a student at the Beijing Dance Academy. After a summer school in America, for which he was one of only two students chosen, he defected to the West and became a principal dancer for the Housten Ballet. Li went on to become one of the best male dancers in the world. He is now a senior manager in a major stockbroking firm and lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife Mary and their three children, Sophie, Tom and Bridie. Li's autobiography, Mao's Last Dancer has sold over 400,000 copies and has been published in over 20 countries. A children's version of the book was released in 2005.

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  • Mao's Last Dancer
    Before you can fly, you have to be free. A new edition of the phenomenal international bestseller. From bitter poverty to the stardom of the West - this is the extraordinary true story of one boy's great courage and determination. In a small, desperately poor village in north-east China, a young peasant boy sits at his rickety old school desk,...
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  • The Peasant Prince
    'This is your one chance. You have your secret dreams. Follow them! Make them come true!' A moving and inspirational story based on the author's life that delights the young and the old, again and again. This true story of a poor Chinese peasant boy, who at the age of ten was plucked unsuspectingly from millions of others across the...
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  • The Lucky Son
    The sequel to Mao's Last Dancer - the highly anticipated follow up to one of the world’s most beloved books. Li Cunxin captivated the world with his unforgettable memoir, Mao’s Last Dancer – the extraordinary rags-to-riches story of how a poor peasant boy, the sixth of seven sons, was plucked from his classroom to train at the Beijing Dance Academy...
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