The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon
by Grace Lin
Adventure
Fantasy
Review #1
* * * * * Stars (Amazing!)
Jin is a lion. He is also one of the Gongshi, stone spirits. His father, the Lion, is the guardian of the Sacred Sphere.
Jin is not quite excited about his heritage. His father is stern; so stern, in fact, it seems that having fun is never a good thing. One should always been focused on one’s abilities, and those abilities are meant to assist the humans, outside of the world of the Gongshi. Jin could care less about the humans: his biggest dream is shooting a Golden Goal in a game of zuqui.
Jin’s team has the zuqui ball. He has the penalty shot, and the area, and then… his father interrupts. Again. The bell has rung, which means a new Gongshi has either arrived, or an old one has been destroyed. The bell can mean sorrow or joy. The bell means duty, and duty is the one thing Jin never wanted a part of. Instead of following his parents to the meeting, he goes home, infuriated. His one chance to score a golden goal—his one chance for glory and fame—and his father, never one to enjoy zuqui and fun, has ruined his chance. Jin touches the Sacred Sphere—but to his surprise and horror, it rolls out of the house, faster than he can catch it. It rolls right up to the gate.
It rolls out of the world of Gongshi, and Jin follows it.
The new world is bright and modern. Jin is now a stone version of himself. And—perhaps worst of all—the gate is now closed behind him.
Through many adventures, Jin must learn how to accept friendship, believe in himself, and perhaps even learn that duty isn’t the hardest thing he has been created for.
I enjoyed the way Grace Lin once again melds story and legend together. Her retellings of traditional Chinese tales are not only enthralling and intriguing, but deeply thematic and powerful as well. This story kept me hooked (especially towards the end, as each individual thread was woven into one story), and I would most definitely recommend it! For upper elementary + middle school readers.
