Both my parents graduated with degrees in fine arts and were teachers. I was lucky to grow up in a Chinese family where drawing and reading comic books were encouraged. My parents understood that comics would help a visual learner like me to develop an interest in reading. Every weekend, my parents took me to local libraries, where I read not only comics but tons of books on history, folklore, and mythologies. I found those tales fascinating. These tales planted seeds of curiosity and imagination deeply in me, and they helped mold me in becoming the author-illustrator I am today.
I wrote...
Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze
It is an action-packed, humorous, and heartfelt graphic novel adventure series featuring the legendary monkey beast Sun Wukong, most famous for his appearance in the 16th-century Chinese literature classic Journey to the West. This brand-new series brings young readers to the worlds of various mythologies and folklores, starting with Greek mythology in book 1. Follow Wukong and his best friend, Cerberus, on their journey to defeat an evil monster!
Not only does the series bring out the fun and excitement of world mythologies and culture, but it also touches on important themes, such as friendships, mistakes, and the importance of working together. It is a wonderful opportunity to get young readers interested in mythologies!
I was on Christmas break from school, and we were to spend the holiday week at my aunt’s place. The adults would play mahjong, but as the only kid in the house, there was nothing for me to do. My mom took me to Target, and I picked up a copy of Harry Potter, as I had heard good things about the book.
Once I started reading it, I was immediately under the spell of this magical world. Very few books could compare to the amazing world J.K. Rowling created in the Harry Potter series.
Galloping gargoyles ... 2022 is the silver anniversary of J.K. Rowling's magical classic Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone!
The boy wizard Harry Potter has been casting a spell over young readers and their families ever since 1997. Now the first book in this unmissable series celebrates 25 years in print! The paperback edition of the tale that introduced us to Harry, Ron and Hermione has been updated and dressed in silver to mark the occasion. It's time to take the magical journey of a lifetime ...
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping…
Inspired by both the Chinese classic Journey to the West and Japanese epic historical fantasy The Eight Dog Chronicles, the Dragon Ball manga series took me into an action-packed world filled with wonderful martial art sequences.
The protagonist, Son Goku, started as a kid at the beginning of the series, and by the end, he had grandkids. I love following the entire life arc of characters, watching them grow, learn, fail, overcome obstacles, and succeed.
Dragon Ball introduces a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku (a wry update of the classic Chinese "Monkey King" legend), whose quiet life changes when he meets a girl named Bulma who is on a quest to collect seven "Dragon Balls." If she gathers them all, an incredibly powerful dragon will appear and grant her one wish. But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and Bulma could use the help of a certain super-strong boy... (In Japan, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z were originally a single 42-volume series. VIZ Media's Dragon Ball…
I absolutely love strong female leads in books, and Circe has a variety of complex heroines. I also love how various myths are woven into the story in a very natural way. To top it off, I really enjoy Miller’s writing. She is such a gifted storyteller. I could not put this book down!
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is a strange child - not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. Scorned and rejected, Circe grows up in the shadows, at home in neither the world of gods or mortals. But Circe has a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When her gift threatens…
The beautiful illustration first attracted me to pick up the book.
This is a graphic novel adaptation that is pretty faithful to the 16th-century Chinese classic Journey to the West, and I think it is done really well. I know the teenager-me would definitely want to read this, and this book would pique my interest further in reading the original tale.
The complete story of the legendary Monkey King fable of ancient Chinese lore. Artist Chaiko brings his unique visual style and humor to this fantasy adventure about a monkey who acquires supernatural abilities and intelligence and chooses to use them for mischief and glory before finding himself at the ire of the Heavens. Imprisoned by the Buddha himself, the rapscallion vows to prove his worth by escaping and retrieving the sacred sutras on a mighty quest.
A comic adventure story, humorous satire of bureaucracy, source of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory all brought to life in a dynamic animated…
The Percy Jackson series reminded me of how incredibly fun Greek mythology was, and it widened my world in seeing how stories could be deeply inspired by ancient mythologies, but could also seamlessly relate to young readers.
The pace was fast, the dialogues were hilarious, and the adventure was satisfying. I especially love how many of the gods in the book remained mostly true to their personalities from the original myths, but they were slightly tweaked to fit modern taste.
The Lightning Thief: the First book in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series.
The first bestselling book in Rick Riordan's phenomenally successful Percy Jackson series.
Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek God. I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. That's when things started really going wrong. Now I spend my time fighting with swords, battling monsters with my friends, and generally trying to stay alive.
For decades I have volunteered in different capacities, helping the hurting and those living on the margins by tutoring and teaching literacy to the formally incarcerated or homeless, teaching parenting in a maximum-security jail, and teaching ESL to resettled immigrants. Because my own suburban father fell into homelessness at the end of his life due to depression, job losses, divorce, and more, I feel tremendous compassion for anyone in this situation. And as the mother of four grown sons, we filled our home with books—especially books that taught compassion so our sons would grow into men with big hearts towards others. I believe we succeeded.
Eleven-year-old Sierra just wants a normal life. After her military mother returns from the war overseas, the two hop from home to homelessness while Sierra tries to help her mom through the throes of PTSD.
When they end up at a shelter for women and children, Sierra is even more aware of what her life is not. The kind couple who run the shelter, Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin, attempt to show her parental love as she faces the uncertainties of her mom’s emotional health and the challenges of being the brand-new poor kid in middle school. The longer she stays at the shelter, the more Sierra realizes she may have to face an impossible choice as she redefines home.
Eleven-year-old Sierra just wants a normal life. After her military mother returns from the war overseas, the two hop from home to homelessness while Sierra tries to help her mom through the throes of PTSD.
When they end up at a shelter for women and children, Sierra is even more aware of what her life is not. The kind couple who run the shelter, Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin, attempt to show her parental love as she faces the uncertainties of her mom’s emotional health and the challenges of being the brand-new…
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