I thought that this was a very basic fantasy novel that kids could find themselves really liking. There seems to be a lot of books that have similar themes with writing on the same level. There isn't anything really wrong you can go with this book and giving it to middle grade kids to read.

I had quite an adventure reading Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit by Jesse Q. Sutanto. It's like Baymax meets some sort of ancestry travel show, and add in Sutanto's humor wrapped up in a middle grade fantasy novel.

I believe that this story takes place in an alternate world, rather than a futuristic ones. It's a world where people drive flying cars, rather than on the road. Where we've got magical notebooks rather than tablets and laptops. Where things use some sort of current that produces magic power rather than manually. Surveillance cameras are roving eyeballs.

Theo, grieving his brother, who died a few weeks before, somehow brings back his brother's spirit companion, Kai, when it is his turn to obtain a spirit companion. The two of them stumble upon something that makes them believe that there's more to the death of his brother than was previously told. So they set out to find more information. It involves being a camper at a camp where the attendees learn more about their ancestry.

This isn't easy. Because Theo is bullied in school, he does his best to become an American and assimilate. Shedding as much of his Chinese self as can be. This leads to some hilarity in the fact that Mandarin is a tonal language, and his tones are slightly off, he mispronounces things more than once and lands them in a spot of trouble. In going to this camp, and trying to find out more about his brother's death, I really appreciated that this causes Theo to unpacks some of the internal racism he's been facing and starts to embrace his heritage.

Overall enjoyed, and need to get my hands on book 2. Thank you MacKids/Feiwel and Friends for sending me a copy.

What a great story! I just loved Kai and Theo. Kai made me laugh and smile so much while reading. I loved the lore in the story. I was pulled in from the start and did not want to put my book down. I cannot wait to read the next one, I just love this author, Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan's Children's Publishing Group for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

When his older brother dies, Theo inherits his spirit companion fox Kai (who doesn’t like him) and learns that his brother’s death wasn’t an accident. In a mystery filled with magic, growing into yourself, and heritage, Theo investigates the Reapling Corp by posing as a talented magic user who wants to connect to his Chinese heritage. But he’s not very magical and doesn’t know Chinese words very well so he needs Kai’s help so they can stay at the summer camp and look for clues. Exciting and interesting!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

A fun, adventurous tale of Theo and his journey with science elements and magic. Opens with Theo and his magical pendant and prepares the reader for a dual perspective. Shape shifting humans into animals creates a mystical feel for the novel. I have really dug into Jesse Q. Sutanto’s writing and excited to see more of her work.

Such a cute and cozy little middle-grade read. I highly recommend it to middle-grade readers that are getting into mystery. Super cute!

This was a super cute & fun middle grade adventure about embracing your heritage and finding pride in your culture. Kai, the spirit fox, was written with Sutanto’s trademark humor - her footnotes actually made me laugh out loud! Perfect for young fans of the Rick Riordan presents books and Amari & the Night Brothers.

Theo Tan was such a fun middle grade fantasy novel! The relationship between Theo and Kai reminded me a lot of Nathaniel and Bartimaeus from The Bartimaeus trilogy (which is high praise!). The book blended genre so fascinatingly, it often felt like a mix between science fiction and fantasy, and I loved the way the story kept me guessing. It comes with heavy themes, but I think everything is addressed in an age-appropriate way. I can't wait to read the next book by Jesse Q. Sutanto!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I don't know whether it was the timing of me reading this or the pacing of this book, but I couldn't really get into it. While the premise sounded interesting enough, I feel that it dove into story without giving enough background information for me. The dual POV between the companion and the MC felt too similar and sometimes I had to go back to figure out what I reading.

I feel that the idea of going back to your roots and exploring a culture that is your own and don't know enough about was executed really well with the element of mystery. Honestly, there might be a time where I'll WANT to dive back into this book, but for now, I was only able to get through about 20%.

At first glance, this looks like just another Percy Jackson clone. And I won't deny that they share some literary DNA. Even so, Sutanto has done a fair bit to make both the plot and the character stand out from the pack. For one thing, magic is not something that Theo falls into by surprise. It's a fully integrated part of his world. It's only his relationship to that magic that changes as the novel progresses. And Theo does not embrace his adventure or stumble through it because he has no alternative. He fights his growing knowledge of the spirit realm, resents it's intrusion on his normal life. He isn't a noble, heroic character. Theo is selfish and petty. In other words: he's a normal kid who has to learn to look beyond his own interests. There's solid character development across the board here. Add in exploration of mythology and spirits that extends beyond just the basics and a genuine meditation on the sliding scale between "good" and "evil" and there's enough to entertain a kid and give them something to chew on after they're done reading. The plot may be a bit predictable but it doesn't harm the entertainment value.

I went back and forth with this one, but ultimately really enjoyed it. Kai's perspective was a little off-putting at first, as I wasn't expecting an animal perspective, but as the book went on I enjoyed her voice more and more. I hope the author commits to exploring more Chinese diaspora experiences in Book 2, especially Xiuling's experience with the Chinese government.
Overall, I definitely will recommend this book to my middle graders. I think the pace and short chapters are done well, and there's definitely an audience that will eat this up!

An adventurous middle grade story with Chinese mythology! This story is told through dual point of views between Theo Tan and his companion animal, Kai. Both of them are grieving the passing of Theo's brother, Jamie and are driven to find out what happened and what Jamie was working on. Jesse Q. Sutanto brings culture to life throughout this story along with humor as I have found in her other books. Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.
Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit is the first middle grade novel from Jesse Q. Sutanto, and it’s a lot of fun. While it begins with the tragedy of the loss of a brother, it perfectly motivates the dual main characters Theo and Kai to find out what happened.
Kai steals the spotlight right away. She has a snappy snarky sense of humor, and it comes through in a lot of the footnote asides, which were much more accessible in the final copy over the ARC. While I don’t know how the formatting overall would work for some middle grade readers (especially the target audience), I liked how it came across overall. She remains incredibly loyal to Jamie, and feels reluctant to work with her rival, Theo, but they both happen to want the same thing.
Theo is a complex kid. He’s not always the easiest to like, but I think it also makes him more relatable. He had a difficult relationship with Jamie in life, due to their different relationships with their Chinese heritage and Jamie being the “golden” child, but Theo is also deeply impacted by grief in his own way.
The quest plot is a lot of fun, and I appreciated how it played into Theo’s central issue of connection with his heritage, as well as both him and Kai wanting answers about Jamie and what happened to him.
I enjoyed this book, and hope this is just the first of many adventures in a similar vein from Sutanto. If you’re a fan of multicultural middle grade, you’ll enjoy this one.

Thanks to NetGalley & Feiwel & Friends for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Theo Tan is an ordinary second-generation Asian-American who has spent his whole life trying his hardest to fit in at school and his life is shattered at the death of his older brother. Now, he's stuck with his older brother's snobby and annoying magical fox companion--Kai. The 200-year-old fox, Kai, is now stuck with her previous master's snobby and annoying younger brother. They must work together to unearth the mystery the brother left for the two of them to discover, but can they work together long enough to see it through?

I absolutely loved the story--I think the dynamic between Theo and Kai really strengthened the story, you understood their motivations and emotions and both mourned Theo's brother in their own way. I enjoyed the karma "cost" of Kai using nefarious means but she was doing it for Theo in the end. Really loved their development progression. If I had to pick something I didn't like was the book wasn't long enough for the author to flesh out the two other characters (the bully and the new friend) but even then it was still a wonderful read.

Can't wait to read the next one!

Theo Tan is still reeling from his brother's death. When he goes through the ceremony to get his magical companion, he ends up with his brother's fox spirit. Theo applies to go to a summer program that his brother had also gone to. Through this program, Theo gets closer to his family's history while also learning new things about his brother. Something seems strange, though.

I felt like this book was just okay. I didn't really connect with it as much as I wanted to. I loved the concept of a magical school. I loved the concept of magical companions. I just didn't feel connected to the characters. I also felt like Kai was just making everything worse for Theo, not helping. She was really self-centered and caused a lot of issues. This seemed really close to family betrayal which is a trigger for me. I'm not sure if I'll be continuing with the series. But it was a good read and I think all the problems I had were personal to me.

I really enjoyed this one! I love the characters and felt their pain. The story had excitement and mystery. I'm looking forward to the next adventure with Theo and Kai!

I absolutely loved this book. There were so many funny moments and emotional moments along with adventures & learning about culture. I appreciated that the balance with the grief & the comedy within the story. I Thought the way that Jesse wove all these factors together. I also really loved the friends group and how Theo came to meet them. I'm really excited to see what comes next for Theo & Kai!

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Theo Tan just wants to be an American boy. After getting teased and bullied in school for speaking Chinese, Theo no longer speaks it. He just wants to play his video games, go to ThunderCon, and cast his spells using his cirth pendant (his power source for spells) like his peers. He is not interested in anything about his culture, including his brother Jamie’s fox spirit, Kai. When Jamie dies suddenly, Theo inherits Kai, to the dismay of both of them. But when Theo find a secret coded journal that Jamie left behind for him, Theo and Kai enroll at the Reapling Corp. summer program where Jamie was doing his internship. Using the journal, Theo and Kai find that something strange is definitely going on there, and potentially dangerous. Kai has the ability to shape-shift, something that Theo takes advantage of in his training. Will Theo and Kai be able to put aside their disdain for each other long enough to figure out what Jamie wanted them to do before it’s too late?

It was nice to see a Chinese-American boy as the main character. Although this book is mostly fantasy, especially when dealing with the companion spirits and spells, there is also a sci-fi part to it. Theo can come off as a bit of a brat, not wanting to do the minimum asked of him. He does realize his potential as the story progresses. Not as fast-paced as some other mythology/heroes middle grade books but enjoyable nonetheless. I give it 4 stars and would recommend it for grades 4 and up.

#TheoTanAndTheFoxSpirit #Feiwel&Friends #NetGalley

This is a funny but often heartbreaking middle-grade fantasy novel about ancient Indo-Chinese spirits and what it means to be part of the Asian diaspora. The story is slow in parts, but Sutanto delves into the grief and emotional rendering that take place with the death of a family members. I also appreciated how sarcastic Kai--the fox spirit--is and how her relationship with Theo develops. The sense of adventure is prevalent throughout even in the more passive parts of the plotline and will engage readers.