Tag: Hong Kong

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

The Best Kind of Mooncake is one you share

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Best Kind of Mooncake, by Pearl Au-Yeung, (Oct. 2022, Page Street Kids), $18.99, ISBN: 9781645675563

Ages 4-8

A young girl sits by her family’s booth in a busy Hong Kong market, waiting patiently for her end-of-the-day treat: a mooncake with a double-yolk center. The best kind! A stranger comes charging into the marketplace, exhausted and hungry after leaving his village, sleeping in trees, and stowing away on a ship to cross the border. At first, no one pays attention to him until the girl’s mother gives him the very mooncake the girl was promised, which he hungrily gobbles up. At that point, he becomes visible: people begin speaking with him and offering him kindnesses. The girl’s mother explains that seeing someone receive a kindness often reminds others of when they received kindness. A warm story of compassion and gratitude, AuYeung’s story is inspired by true events, explained in an author’s note, alongside pictures of the author’s family. Digital illustrations have an animated feel to them, with movement, big expressions, and texture. The Best Kind of Mooncake is a story of kindness and compassion, with a poignant observation about seeing what stands in front of us even when we are tempted to look away. Endpapers show the bustling street market referenced in the story. An excellent story for Lunar New Year readalouds and for the winter holiday season – the emphasis is not on the mooncake (usually eaten during the Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival); rather, on empathy and kindness.

Posted in Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

New school, new country, new beginnings: The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei, by Christina Matula, (April 2022, Inkyard Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781335424884

Ages 8-12

Holly-Mei Jones is a middle schooler who jumps at the chance for a new beginning when her mom announces that an exciting promotion comes with a major move: from their home in Canada to Hong Kong! But, as her ah-ma (grandmother) says, the bitter comes first, and then the sweet. Holly discovers that her new life in Hong Kong is not without its pressures: her mother’s new position comes with expectations and rules, and the most popular girl in her class is bossy and can be nice one minute, horribly mean the next. Determined to to get to the sweet part of her new life, Holly-Mei discovers that she has a lot to learn.

Holly-Mei has a big heart and a strong sense of justice which gets her into trouble and makes her such a lovable character. Kids will read all about her new life in Hong Kong with excitement and wonder – it’s like Crazy Rich Asians for kids! – and realize that in life, you have to weather the storms, no matter where you are, as they see Holly-Mei buckle under her mother’s shift into a more appearance and behavior-driven mindset. Supporting characters are there to move Holly’s story along, but have their own definitive personalities. Gemma, popular girl and Holly-Mei’s frenemy, has an interesting backstory that gives texture to her actions.

A compulsively readable book about middle school, rich with Chinese culture and likable characters, humor, and genuine feeling. Put this on your Newbery watch lists.

Posted in Adventure, Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Mysterium #1: The Black Dragon has suspense, magic, and mystery

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

black dragonMysterium #1: The Black Dragon, by Julian Sedgwick/Illustrated by Patricia Moffett (Mar. 2016, Carolrhoda Books), $18.99

Recommended for ages 10-14

Danny Woo didn’t have the most traditional upbringing. As the child of circus performers in a traveling circus, he learned a great deal from his death-defying parents, until a suspicious fire left him an orphan in the care of his journalist aunt, Laura. When an explosion at Danny’s boarding school closed the school while repairs are made, Laura swept him off to his mother’s homeland, Hong Kong; she’s researching a dangerous triad gang known as the Black Dragon, but Danny feels like she knows more than she’s letting on. After his aunt is kidnapped, Danny and his old circus friend, a dwarf named Major Zamora, are left to save Laura – and themselves – using every trick they learned at the circus.

The Black Dragon is the first book in a new series. Mysterium follows the adventures of Danny Woo, a tween who survived the fire that killed his parents. Brought up in a traveling circus, Danny has some tricks up his sleeve and knows that his remaining family – his aunt Laura and his friend, Zamora – knows more about his parents’ deaths than they’re willing to let on. Previously published outside the US, there are three books in the series (so far); I hope they’ll also be published in the U.S., to give audiences a chance to read the whole series.

I liked what I’ve read so far. There’s a lot of action and intrigue, with some questions posed and just enough answers given to tease readers into getting the next book. Danny is a smart, capable kid who uses the hypnosis and sleight of hand techniques he learned from his dad to aid his own investigation. He tends to go with his gut feelings on things, because he’s good at “reading” people – another talent he picked up from his father. His friend Zamora is a loyal friend who acts as Danny’s partner and protector. We’ve got good exposition, interesting characters with talents not usually explored by tween fic, and multi-ethnic, diverse characters that make this a good choice to add to reading lists. I’d pair this with Simon Nicholson’s Young Houdini middle grade series for a nice display on magic in fiction.

Check out the Mysterium webpage for more information on the rest of the series, which you can also buy for your reader if you can’t wait for them to be published stateside.

Posted in Fantasy, Science Fiction, Teen, Uncategorized, Young Adult/New Adult

Seeker: A futuristic story of betrayal, power, and time travel

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

seekerSeeker, by Arwen Elys Dayton (2015, Delacorte BFYR), $18.99 ISBN: 9780385744072

Recommended for ages 14+

Quin Kincaid has been training to be a Seeker since she was eight years old. She and her cousin, Shinobu, finally complete their training take their oaths, only to discover that they have been lied to by their families. This is no honorable profession; they have been duped into becoming pawns of Quin’s awful father, Briac. This is only the first secret Quin uncovers about her father – there is so much more, including what really happened to her boyfriend, John’s family, at Briac’s hands.

Seeker could be an epic YA series. There is time travel, intrigue, and layer upon layer of character backstory and world-building. My main issue with the book is that there is so much plot that the story gets muddled. For instance, just grasping what time the main story takes place in can be a frustrating exercise: there are references to airships and cell phones, horses and lands. Is it a post-apocalyptic universe? A steampunk universe? The time travel aspect is introduced late into the story, so I spent a good portion of my reading wondering what was going on and where. I’m still not sure what the relics, called athames, that a good chunk of the plot involves, really do.

The story is told through the viewpoints of four characters. We don’t always get a lot of motivation, with the narrative being told from four points of view. I found one character’s actions seemingly coming out of nowhere, another character’s background making very little sense, and two characters having a massive portal shift erase 18 months of storytelling time.

All in all, this one isn’t my book. It’s got promise, and perhaps the second book in the series will answer some of these questions.