【推荐1】Jilin is not a place that was ever high up on my list of places that I wanted to go to in China, but after visiting it I can confidently say it should be at the top of yours.

My first stop was the Jingyuetan National Forest Park, situated in the southeast of Changchun city. The freshness and calmness of this park was idyllic, with pockets of people out for their afternoon run or just getting some alone time. I was taken to a cable lift that took me up to one of the highest points and got to toboggan (长雪橇) down the hill side, which I had done once before beside the Great Wall of China, but this time I was in among the trees and wilderness.

The forestry in Jilin is second to none, which was evident when I visited the Changchun Zoological and Botanical Gardens, featuring multiple parades and performances, but my favorite of all was the glowing lantern sculptures decorated around and in among the greenery.   I was fortunate enough to dress up in some of the performance costumes. I have attended a performing arts academy for many years, so I was over the moon when greeted by performers in Siping.

My last day in Jilin was a day of relaxation. I started the day by rafting down a local river, where butterflies adorned the trees like Christmas decorations. From here I made the journey to a rural forest to partake in the intangible cultural heritage protection project of ginseng picking. A master guided me into the forest in search of the root plant and showed me the correct way to unearth the roots. The practice can only be done during two months of the year and the rest is left for the ginseng to grow back. It can take many years for the ginseng to grow to a profitable size.

My expectations were blown up to the mountains in Jilin as the people here showed me all warmth and generosity, sharing their wonderful province with me. It is most definitely a place I’m itching to climb back into.

【推荐1】American school students usually go to school on foot, or on the school bus. Some students ride their bikes to school.

In the middle school, students usually take classes for six hours a day. They study English, Maths, History, Science, P. E, Music and Art.

Schools begins at half past eight in the morning. At noon, students have lunch at school. After lunch, they go to their classes. School is over at about 4 o’clock. Most students often watch TV and do homework after supper.

On weekends, American school students go to church, do shopping, visit grandparents or go to the park with parents.

American school children don’t have too much homework. But they watch TV too much. Some even watch TV three to five hours a day. It’s bad for health. So their parents worry about it. They play games, do sports or do reading with kids to take their kids away from TV.

【推荐3】Take our challenge ( for a chance to win a £50 National Book Token (代金券) and a bundle (捆) of books worth more than £200.

Where are you going this summer? How about visiting a village in the Himalayas or going on an adventure in 19^th century Amsterdam? Perhaps you’d prefer to meet a Jamaican freedom fighter? Set your reading superpowers free and find out just how far a good book can take you. Follow these three simple steps to complete the challenge.

Choose and read three books

This might just be the most difficult part of the challenge - there are so many great books. If you can’t decide what to read, take a look at the next two pages where you’ll see the 50 books our experts have chosen just for you this summer.

Rate (划分等级) and review

When you finish reading each book, rate it by filling in the stars on the form on page 20. Three stars is the highest rating and one is the lowest. Next, describe the book in three words. If you’d like to write a longer review, use the lined space on the form to share your thoughts.

Enter our prize draw

When you’ve filled in the form, take a photo of it and email it to competitions@ theweekjunior.co.uk with the words SUMMER OF READING in the subject line. Every form we receive will be entered into a prize draw to win books and book tokens (see page 20 for prize detail sand terms and conditions).