The hero of The Warrior’s Beads returns with a tale of a kidnapping, a sandstorm, and a brilliant invention—includes “stunning illustrations”(School Library Journal).

Clever Chuan makes his third appearance, this time as an artist’s apprentice for the warlord, in this story about the compass.

When some strangers feel they’ve been cheated in the market, Chuan serves as interpreter in the dispute, and for his trouble, both he and the artist are kidnapped and, together with the strangers, taken through the desert. When a sandstorm rises, blocking out the sun they’d been relying on to know their direction, and the fierce winds blow sand over the road, it seems that all are lost in the desert with little food or water, miles from civilization.

Fortunately, Chuan had seen the carved fish the artist made, floating in a bowl of water, so he knew that the fish he carried in his pocket was more than a pretty toy: When placed in a bowl of water, it always pointed south. How could that be? Read the book to learn how Chuan and the artist made a compass and earned their freedom . . .
 
“The young artist’s apprentice of Warlord’s Puzzle and Warlord’s Beads brings a third ancient invention to the world—compasses—with an adventure story plus instructions at the end for a simple modern instrument.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The story provides an interesting introduction to the Chinese use of both the magnet and the compass as early as the third century B.C.E . . . Debon’s stunning illustrations enhance the tale.” —School Library Journal
 
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