Asia

=Asia=

"Germanic invasions helped to break up the Roman Empire and set the stage for the development of feudal and manorial systems. Later invasions helped establish Mongol dominance in central Asia and led to the destruction of the Byzantine Empire by the Turks." (Content Statement - Feudalism & Transitions) "Mongol influence led to unified states in China and Korea, but the Mongol failure to conquer Japan allowed the feudal system to persist." (Content Statement - Feudalism & Transitions) "Empires in Africa (Ghana, Maili and Songhay) and Asia (Byzantine, Ottoman, Mughal and China) grew as commercial and cultural centers along trade routes"(Content Statement - First Global Age)

Historical Fiction
Paterson, Katherine. //**The Sign of the Chrysanthemum**//. Harper Trophy, 1973. Muna has never known his father--a samurai, a noble warrior. But Muna's mother has told Muna how he will know him one day: by the sign of the chrysanthemum. When his mother dies, Muna travels to the capital of twelfth-century Japan, a bewildering city on the verge of revolution. He finds a haven there, as servant to the great swordsmith, Fukuji. But Muna cannot forget his dream: He must find his father. Only then will he have power and a name to be reckoned with. Only then will he become a man. Grades 5-8. (Vanessa)

McCaughrean, Geraldine. //**The Kite Rider**//. Harper Trophy, 2003. In thirteenth-century China, after trying to save his widowed mother from a horrendous second marriage, twelve-year-old Haoyou has life-changing adventures when he takes to the sky as a circus kite rider and ends up meeting the great Mongol ruler Kublai Khan. Grades 5-8. (Elyce)

Information Books
Burgan, Michael. //**Empire of the Mongols**//. Chelsea House, 2009. A comprehensive history of the thirteenth-century Mongols under the leadership of Chinggis Khan that describes the establishment of the empire, government, society, daily life, art, science, and culture, and includes a time line, a glossary, a bibliography, and a list of further resources. Grades 7-up. (Elyce)