The Iron Dragon Never Sleeps

by Stephen Krensky

In 1867, while staying with her father in a small California mining town, ten-year-old Winnie meets a Chinese boy close to her age and discovers the role of his people in completing the transcontinental railroad.

Genres: Historical Fiction, American History, Childrens, Chapter Books

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Andria Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good writing, liked the characters, and had a good ending. 3.5 ⭐

[Tammy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 6th graders enjoy this book as a read aloud. I use this book to teach metaphors, transcontinental railroad, civil rights, racism, and to review 5th grade history.

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This was a book that gave a bit of history and an account of what life was like in Cisco during the building of the railroad. It follows Winnie who comes with her mother to live with her father who has been a part of the railway building. She meets a friend who is Chinese and is called a "Celestial" in that time period. It showed some of the hardships they endured and I like that Winnie makes friends with and stands up for her new friend.

[Jackie]

I chose this book because I feel that a lot of students do not know about Chinese exclusion in the US and this book touches on that subject.

[Bobbye West · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in consideration of assigning it to students in an American history class I teach for students aged 9-12. Its length will allow them to read the book in 2-3 weeks and it will allow them to explore themed of racism and the important role Chinese immigrants played in the building of the transcontinental railroad. It is not a “perfect book” but it will allow them to explore Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion in a less romanticized way than other young adult historic fiction options available. I will likely assign this book.

[Alissa Faust · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written very simply, for a young audience about the experience of building the railroads. It covers the hard topic of the Chinese workers and their unfair treatment. It describes working conditions and a bit of what life would have been like at that time. A good introductory book for kids to teach about this time in history.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably historically authentic, in terms of the casual racism and sexism present, even though written in 1994 and certainly attempting to present a positive portrayal of Chinese railroad workers. Sigh.

[Holli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Quick little read for young people about the building of the railroad, life in camp and the contribution and treatment of Chinese people.

[Andrea B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting elementary readaloud about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Chinese Immigrants that played a major, yet unappreciated, role.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fiction books need to pedal the line between fact and fiction without drifting too far into either lane. Krensky drifts a little too far into the fact lane. They are interesting facts to be sure, but they propel the story more-so than the characters which makes the pacing slow in parts.

Winnie has gone with her mother to visit her dad who is working on the transcontinental railroad in the town of Cisco. While there, she learns how the Chinese workers are providing invaluable aid in building the transcontinental railroad, except no one seems to recognize the fact. They are treated unfairly by the owners of the railroad and the white townspeople which leads them to go on strike. When Winnie makes a friend with a Chinese boy who is 10-years-old, she is not sure if she likes him. She has to decide if she wants to strike up a friendship with him based on others opinions or what she sees with her own eyes.

The family has nice dialogue with the dad teasing the daughter and the parents joking. I thought these sections were more authentic than the interactions between Winnie and the Chinese boy, Lee. Those sections seemed forced because the author was pushing his message of prejudice and intolerance. I wished more had been shown versus told about the injustice suffered by the Chinese workers. The author shows a little and tells a little. Winnie is going against quite a bit of built-in prejudice represented by the townspeople. Even her parents support the townspeople's negative view of Chinese people. It seems that she would really have to develop a deep friendship with Lee to risk disobedience and break away from mainstream beliefs as a 10-year-old. Maybe if she was presented as more strong-willed. The friendship seemed rushed to me but a young reader might disagree and not notice it at all.

Facts on how the Chinese different customs frightened people and their expertise in explosives and working as teams are peppered throughout this quick read. The characters don't think in great depth on issues but they do question why people act the way they do. The ending with the red kite adds a pleasant emotional pull to the story that I wished had been more evident in the beginning and middle; some happens with the family but that is about it.

Grade 5 students who are studying immigrants and hardships faced in the United States during 1867 will get plenty of information in story. It would be a good resource for students studying this topic.

Reading Level 4.4

[Barbara Radisavljevic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten-year-old Winnie moves to Cisco, California, with her family in the summer of 1867 when her father, a mining engineer for the Central Pacific Railroad, needs to relocate from Sacramento to help build the transcontinental railroad. Cisco is small, and there seem to be no other children at first. Most people were either miners or railroad workers, and many of these were Chinese immigrant laborers who were brought into the country just to build the railroad. The only friend Winnie makes is one of these -- a young Chinese tea carrier. The stories he tells are very different from the ones her father tells about the work. Sometimes Winnie doesn't know what to think. She has already seen plenty of prejudice against the Chinese in town. Later in the summer when the Chinese workers start to complain about their awful working conditions, Winnie needs to decide which side she's on.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

gr 3-5 90 pgs

1867, Cisco, CA. 10 year old Winnie Tucker is excited to be spending the summer in Cisco while her father works on the Transcontinental railroad. At first Winnie thinks there are no other children her age, then she meets Lee Cheng who works as a tea carrier for the Chinese immigrant railroad workers. From Lee, she gains a perspective of working conditions on the railroad and the prejudices that the Chinese immigrants must face. When the Chinese immigrant workers strike to protest their low pay and dangerous working conditions, Winnie is torn. She knows from her father how important the work continue, but she also knows from Lee that the workers are right too.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little taste of history. Good introduction to learning about the transcontinental railroad.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a great historical fiction story! And to think I picked this up at a book sale for .25 cents! I am totally going to share this book with my teachers and students at school.

[Hunter Gibbons · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Iron Dragon Never Sleeps Is a good book but the book was a little slow through a lot of the book but some of the parts went fast.