The Kite Rider is an award-winning young adult novel written by British novelist Geraldine McCaughrean. This story tackles themes of greed, loyalty, family, sacrifice and betrayal with the dramatic world of 13th-century-China as its background.

In the story, Bo agreed to Qing’an and Di Chou’s marriage without his sister’s consent. What does this reflect about the situation of women in the Chinese society of that time? How were gender roles portrayed throughout the story? Did the women in this story buckle under or rebel against the expectations society placed on women?

How is the dangerous activity of kite-riding presented throughout the novel and what does it signify? What do you think it meant to Haoyou? What were the characteristics and traits exhibited by him in the novel? How do you think his parents and the environment shaped his personality? How did he change over the course of time and events, and was it for the better?