From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7-San Francisco is the setting for this modern-day fantasy. Tom is his Chinese grandmother's somewhat reluctant apprentice in magical arts, but after she dies while defending a mysterious coral rose from evil foes, the eighth grader finds himself enmeshed in a dangerous world where Chinese myth is a reality. The rose, a phoenix egg in disguise, is stolen by Kung Kung's lieutenant, who wants to use it to take over the world, and a motley crew of bickering magical creatures goes on a mission to get it back. The action is nonstop, with one predicament and villain after another, and plenty of humor to lighten things up. Tom's friends may be exotic, but they still have to take buses and taxis to get across the city, squabbling like siblings all the way. Some scenes feel a bit too familiar (a magical marketplace in Chinatown called Goblin Square is quite reminiscent of Harry Potter's Diagon Alley), but the emphasis on Chinese folklore and culture keeps the story fresh. The sense of menace from a powerful enemy isn't as strong or as pervasive as it could be, which sometimes gives the impression that Tom and his cohorts are on an afternoon jaunt rather than an urgent and dangerous quest, but the plot is still compelling, with enough strings left hanging to make readers eagerly anticipate the next book in this projected series.
Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public LibraryCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 5-7. Seventh-grader Tom Lee leads an ordinary life with his grandmother in San Francisco until she is killed by a monster and he finds himself apprenticed to Mr. Hu, a shape-changing tiger who is Guardian of a precious phoenix egg. Villainous creatures want to steal the egg to wreak havoc on the world, so when it disappears, Tom, Mr. Hu, an ostracized dragon, and a roguish monkey battle evil monsters to retrieve it. Designated as the first book in a planned series, this reads like the second or third book, with a great deal of background information packed into the first several chapters. Once the explanations are out of the way, the pace quickens and adventures ensue. The Harry Potter-like events are enticing, and the elements of Chinese mythology and culture give the story a distinctively Asian perspective.
Linda PerkinsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
