Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend by Katie Zhao, 288 pages. Random House Children’s Books, 2022. $17.
Language: PG (3 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
11yo Winnie Zeng is facing her biggest challenge yet: middle school! But no amount of research into middle school survival tactics could have prepared her for a sixth grade year like this one. Entirely by accident, Winnie discovers that she has inherited special powers that she has to embrace and learn to use quickly, or there’s no telling what amount of havoc and chaos the legendary evil spirits might wreak!
Winnie is an instantly likable, relatable pre-teen girl. She loves manga and anime, she wants to please her parents and teachers, she has an ongoing competition with her arch nemesis (who always seems to best her), she deals with an angsty older sister and has to tolerate a mean clique of girls, all while trying to figure out how to navigate middle school and hold on to her Chinese culture (but not stand out because of it). Her story is action-packed, humor-filled, and gives the reader a glimpse into Chinese legends, history and culture. Some of the timeline felt a little rushed and confusing, but overall it was a fun read that grabbed my attention right away and I suspect students who are fans of Percy Jackson and Rick Riordan Presents books will enjoy it, too. Supernatural elements, some battle scenes and slightly frightening situations, plus a bit of mild language give this book a PG rating.
Reviewer: Angie Campbell, EL Librarian
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