The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan - ADVISABLE

The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan, 356 pages. Putnam (Penguin), 2025. $20

Language: R (10 swears, 1 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (some fighting)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Jolie has always known that her grandfather was special among the Vietnamese seers in her close knit community. Ever since the bizarre incident at a swim meet a year ago, however, Jolie has been ostracized by her best friends and the larger school community. When she saves the life of Huong, the school It girl, however, things start to look up. Huong reveals to Jolie that her grandfather’s powers are directly related to Jolie’s incident - that the two girls are actually reincarnated Vietnamese dragon goddesses and that this is their chance to reclaim their powers and save the world from their scheming brothers, who have  continued to kill them through the ages. 

Bear with me - I know the summary sounds a bit bizarre, but Phan has done a terrific job of unfolding the story bit by bit and never letting us know more than Jolie does.  Phan weaves the story in a way that keeps you reading - especially as deeper forces are at play in several different ways. It is refreshing to have a book about a cultural history and mythology that doesn’t rely on love triangles to further the story. I found this article that shows the history of the sisters. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Spindle of Fate by Aimee Lim - ADVISABLE

The Spindle of Fate by Aimee Lim, 304 pages. Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan), 2025. $18

Language: G (G swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (deaths and danger in the underworld)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12yo Evie Mei’s mother is missing, but she refuses to believe that she is actually dead, like everyone says. When she sneaks into her mother’s secret workshop - not only does she encounter a talking monkey (actually an evil demon), he informs her that her mother was the leader of one of the prestigious magical Guilds. Evie Mei takes a desperate chance and plunges into Diyu, the Chinese Underworld (after life) to search and retrieve her mother, only accompanied by a teenaged, slightly inept, warrior. 

Probably my favorite take on Chinese mythology to date. Evie Mei isn’t the savior of the world - she just wants to save her mom.High stakes for her, but not world-ending.  Evie’s eagerness to find her mom I found to be endearing and there is plenty of danger and action to keep readers engaged. 

I listened to this book courtesy of libro.fm

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Fetch: Book Two-The Rescue by Mike Sizemore, Dave Kennedy, Pete Kennedy, and Jance Chiang - ADVISABLE

Fetch: Book Two-The Rescue by Mike Sizemore, Dave Kennedy, Pete Kennedy, and Jance Chiang, 104 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Storm King Comics, 2024. $15 

Language: G (0 swears) Mature Content: PG (the well endowed siren only wears long hair) Violence: PG (mythological violence) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Continuing her hunt for her dog, Danni is a twelve-year old girl making her way through Hades with her little brother and their guide, Odysseus. They face new enemies and find new friends in their adventures. 

Readers will want to read these two books in order. This wraps up the story while leaving a gateway for further adventures. The art is stunning and the mythology fun. The ending concludes well. Danni's little brother, Sammy, is somewhere on the spectrum, which gives this story more depth. Nice read. Danni and Sammy are white and Hades is black. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Fetch: Book One-The Journey by Mike Sizemore, Dave Kennedy, Pete Kennedy, and Janice Chiang - ADVISABLE

Fetch: Book One-The Journey by Mike Sizemore, Dave Kennedy, Pete Kennedy, and Janice Chiang, 104 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Storm King Comics 2023 $15 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (fighting skeletons, mythological creatures) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

12yo Danni is mourning the loss of her dog when she gets an old Greek Mythology book from a new teacher. The book helps her find the entrance to Hades, the Greek underworld, where Danni thinks she can find her dog and bring him back. Danni's younger brother shows up unexpectedly and together they find a guide to help them through the underworld: Odysseus. 

The illustrations are colorful and beautiful. Danni seems a bit young to be undaunted by killer skeletons , Medusa, and a cyclops. but she takes it in stride. It may help readers to have a background in Greek mythology, though this may spark that interest. The plot works surprisingly well, it's just really short. Danni and her brother are white and Hades is black. 

Michelle in the Middle 

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang - OPTIONAL

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang, 336 pages. St. Martin’s Press, 2024. $32.

Language: PG (5 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: R

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

From a poor family in a kingdom ravaged by war with the Wu, Xishi (20yo) washes raw silk and wishes that she could hold the Wu accountable for their wrongs—especially for the wrongful death of her younger sister. Fanli (22yo), the Yue king’s minister, asks Xishi to be a tribute to the Wu king and a spy for the Yue. In this new battle, Xishi’s overwhelming beauty will be her sword.

Based on Chinese legend, Xishi’s story is hauntingly beautiful. While Xishi is sent to the Wu king as a concubine, there are no vulgar scenes, and it’s even implied that sex is never involved in their relationship. The pressure of Xishi’s situation hangs over readers with little levity to offer contrast, making it hard to put down through to the last page.

The characters are implied Chinese. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, mentions of trafficking, partial nudity, kissing, and innuendo. The violence rating is for assault, blood and gore, mentions of child abuse, corpses, battle scenes, suicide, and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen