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The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon

by Grace Lin

A guardian’s game-changing mistake

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Awards & Recognition

  • Bestseller

    New York Times bestseller

    The supplied description identifies this book as a New York Times bestseller.

  • Editorial selection

    The Boston Globe Best Book of the Year

    Named a Best Book of the Year by The Boston Globe.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A guardian’s game-changing mistake

Jin is a Stone Lion tasked with guarding the Old City Gate, but his attention is on perfecting his zuqiu kick and becoming a legendary player. When a misplaced kick sends the Sacred Sphere into the human world and leaves Jin stranded there, the quest to recover it brings him together with a girl who hears a mysterious voice and a worm who says he is a dragon. Their journey links a fantasy adventure to questions of duty, love, and balance, drawing on Chinese folklore. Ten full-page color illustrations and chapter-header artwork accompany the story.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Ages 9–12 looking for a fantasy adventure with mythical creatures.
  • Readers interested in stories drawing on Chinese folklore.
  • Children who enjoy illustrated stories with a sports-minded protagonist.

Themes

Duty and responsibilityLove and balanceChinese folkloreSport and ambition

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A gorgeously illustrated story about a lion cub and a girl who must open a portal to save the spirit and human worlds, from Grace Lin, award-winning and bestselling author of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

Jin is a Stone Lion--one of the guardians of the Old City Gate who is charged to watch over humans and protect the Sacred Sphere. But to Jin, those boring duties feel like a waste of time.

What isn't a waste of time? Perfecting his zuqiu kick, scoring a Golden Goal, and becoming the most legendary player of all the spirit world.

But when Jin's perfect kick accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere out through the gate, he has no choice but to run after it, tumbling out of the realm he calls home and into the human world as the gate closes behind him.

Stuck outside the gate, Jin must find help from unlikely allies, including a girl who can hear a mysterious voice and a worm who claims he is a dragon. Together, they must find the sphere and return it to the world beyond the gate ... or risk losing everything.

Award-winning and bestselling author Grace Lin returns with another gorgeously illustrated adventure story about duty, love, and balance--expertly written in the vein of the Newbery Honor winner and modern classic Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Based on Chinese Folklore, this beautiful novel features ten full-page pieces of stunning full-color art, as well as intricate chapter header illustrations.

A New York Times and IndieBound bestseller!
A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year!
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year!
A BCCB Best Book of the Year!
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