Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor
Written by Xiran Jay Zhao
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Zachary Ying never had many opportunities to learn about his Chinese heritage. His single mom was busy enough making sure they got by, and his schools never taught anything except Western history and myths. So Zack is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open.
The mission takes an immediate wrong turn when the First Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack’s body and binds to Zack’s AR gaming headset instead, leading to a battle where Zack’s mom’s soul gets taken by demons. Now, with one of history’s most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to heist magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning to wield the emperor’s incredible water dragon powers.
And if Zack can’t finish the mission in time, the spirits of the underworld will flood into the mortal realm, and he could lose his mom forever.
Primary ISBN: 9781665900706
Publication Date: May 2022
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Middle Grade, Age 08 or older
Community Represented: Chinese/Chinese American
Themes: Audiobook, Coming of Age, Cross-Group Friendship, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Food, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Storytelling, Discrimination: Cultural, Family Relationship: Parents, Generation: 1st, Genre: Fantasy & Folklore, Multilingual: Mandarin/English, Religious Background: Muslim
Setting: United States (Maine)
Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: 1st Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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