Because our sixth graders learn about Ancient China in their Social Studies book, I thought this book would help link Ancient China to the present.  Based on the title, I was expecting the book to enlighten the reader to the many inventions and practices we still use today.  While this is true, the laundry list of inventions that are named on page 4 pretty much cover this.  The rest of the book repeats these inventions (kites, dominoes, umbrellas, the martial arts, ice cream, matches, gunpowder, and fireworks), with just a few more additions (wheelbarrows, block printing, paper, and planting crops in rows).  Nicely done is a “Then” and “Now” comparison at the bottom of each page, linking the past to the present, but overall, their isn’t enough research provided.  Perhaps this book is simply too meant for a younger audience, leading to my disappointment as a middle school librarian.  It’s use in the middle school would be to offer it to ELL or Special Ed students as a general overview, or to be read aloud at the beginning of the Ancient China unit as an introduction to life in Ancient China.