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“An extraordinary coming-of-age tale . . . [that] will keep readers turning the pages for answers. Highly ­recommended, especially for those who grew up in a less-than-­magical world.”

—School Library Journal, Starred Review

“The emotional impact of Jasmine’s struggle to act as her mother’s caretaker is viscerally conveyed without overly dramatizing or romanticizing the situation . . . With narrative priority placed on Jasmine’s emotional journey, this is a realistic depiction of parentification that readers will find to be either validating or eye-opening.”

—Booklist

“Jasmine contends with racism, the prospect of foster care, first love, and complicated feelings surrounding her mother’s condition, circumstances which Li Bi depicts in dreamlike, Chinese mythology–tinged prose.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Intriguing . . . Bi’s young adult debut presents original depictions of mental illness that are suffused with Chinese myth and Filipino folklore. Both Jasmine and her mother walk a fine line between fantasy and reality.”

—Kirkus Reviews

Sunlight Playing over a Mountain

Written by Selina Li Bi
Published by Soho Teen

Jasmine Cheng has grown up on stories spun by her beautiful, free-spirited mother. Together, they’re the Phoenix and Dragon. Jasmine’s father is the god Pangu, creator of the heavens and earth. Her mother may have boyfriends, but Jasmine chases them away. For her mother, love brings chaos, sleepless nights, and frightening episodes, and it’s Jasmine’s job to keep their home life stable—especially now that a social worker has started to keep tabs on them.

When the sudden arrival of Cal, her mother’s old flame, fractures their delicate world, events unfold that will send Jasmine on a cross-country journey to the West Coast—and into her past. Trapped in a tangle of fantasy and reality, Jasmine becomes determined to find the truth, even while her mother’s refusal to be honest drives a deeper wedge between them. Will the crack in their fantasy destroy her, or finally let the light in?

Selina Li Bi’s magical debut perfectly portrays the pain of growing up in a less-than-magical world and introduces a remarkable new voice in young adult fiction.

Primary ISBN: 9781641296489
Publication Date: April 2025
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 14 or older

Community Represented: ,

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (The Midwest, Oregon)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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