My Thoughts:
Zhi Ging enters the middle level fantasy genre as the next spunky 12-year-old heroine in this Hong Kong inspired undersea adventure. What I was NOT paying attention to is that this is a duology. I admit that I did not pay attention to that, so when Zhi Ging must step up to her save the world moment, the book was done! I was not prepared. In other words, know before you start reading this aloud to your upper elementary child or let the tweens know that the next book does not come out until March 2025.
The appeal of this book is that it takes a plucky girl who is orphaned and bullied as a talentless "no glow," and gives her a chance to shine in this delightful magic-school genre. The world building, or under sea building is new and a solid contribution that makes me want to go to the local aquarium and study jellyfish. In other words, think Pippi or Anne of Green Gables, but Asian with Cantonese cultural motifs and magic food spoons. I am most obsessed with the spoons and would like to visit the movie set in the sea near Hong Kong so I can bowl with a stone, choose a spoon and eat whatever appears when I pour hot water in the bowl and crack the spoon on the stone.
In reality, I don't know if there will be a movie, but if you get to the north island of New Zealand, you can visit Hobbiton in Matamata. The tour takes you through the movie set shire, and it ends at the Green Dragon Inn where you get a complimentary beverage. Pay a little more and you can join others for second breakfast or a dinner feast. The food in Paper Dragons would be worth a visit to Hong Kong.
From the Publishers:
An outsider in her village above the cloud sea, 12-year-old orphan Yeung Zhi Ging’s only hope of escape is to win the single invitation to train as a Silhouette: an apprentice to the immortals. After her ill-fated attempt to impress the Silhouette scout leads to a dragon attack on the jade mountain, Zhi Ging is sure that her chances, and her life, are over. But the scout spots her potential and offers her protection and a second chance. She’s in.
In her lessons in Hok Woh, the underwater realm of the immortals, Zhi Ging must face the challenging trials set by her teachers to prove that she’s worthy of being a Silhouette—despite her rivals' attempts to sabotage her. But as Zhi Ging’s power grows, so do the rumours of the return of the Fui Gwai, an evil spirit that turns people into grey-eyed thralls.
When the impossible happens and the Fui Gwai attack the Silhouettes, can Zhi Ging use her newly uncovered talents to save her friends and the world beyond? Or will the grey-eyed spirit consume them all?
In her lessons in Hok Woh, the underwater realm of the immortals, Zhi Ging must face the challenging trials set by her teachers to prove that she’s worthy of being a Silhouette—despite her rivals' attempts to sabotage her. But as Zhi Ging’s power grows, so do the rumours of the return of the Fui Gwai, an evil spirit that turns people into grey-eyed thralls.
When the impossible happens and the Fui Gwai attack the Silhouettes, can Zhi Ging use her newly uncovered talents to save her friends and the world beyond? Or will the grey-eyed spirit consume them all?
Publication Information:
Author: Siobhan McDermott
Publisher: Delacorte Press (March 5, 2024)
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0593706114
Grade level: 5-6
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