Winnie Zeng draws from Chinese mythology to create a charming, fast-paced adventure full of evil spirits, talking rabbits, and magical mooncakes. I love that the book includes a mooncake recipe! Perfect for fans of the Rick Riordan Presents series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this DRC.
Winnie Zeng is dealing with typical middle school problems: friendship, being the best student, and an archnemesis. While baking mooncakes, she unleashes her family’s magic and now must become a shaman to save the world from evil spirtis.
Very fun magical adventure. I loved the characters, the mythology, and her grandmother’s spirit.
#WinnieZengUnleashesaLengend #NetGalley

"Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend" by Katie Zhao is an enchanting and imaginative middle-grade novel that transports readers to a world of magic, adventure, and the power of friendship. Zhao's storytelling magic shines as she crafts a tale of bravery, discovery, and the hidden wonders of the supernatural. The book's relatable characters and captivating plot create an immersive reading experience that resonates with young readers. Zhao skillfully explores themes of courage, identity, and the bond between humans and mythical creatures, adding depth to the narrative. "Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend" is a delightful reminder that even the most ordinary individuals have the potential to become extraordinary heroes, leaving young readers with a sense of wonder and a renewed appreciation for the magic of storytelling and the boundless realms of the imagination.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I loved this fun middle grade novel! The characters were great and the dynamic between Winnie and David was so fun. I loved the struggle and balance of surviving middle school while also vanquishing evil spirits. It was such a fun book and fun to learn more about Chinese mythology. I can't wait for more of this series!

My students love this deliciously fun book. Filled with adventure and heart, this book is great for 4th-6th grade classrooms.

Thank you Random House Books for Young Readers and Net Galley for the ARC.

I read this a while back, and apparently forgot to come give feedback! I really enjoyed this book! I thought it had a great balance of culture, fantasy, and family dynamics. If I was still teaching 5th grade, I would absolutely have this book on my bookshelf!

This was a fun and very cute story about a girl who has the powers of a Shaman! I really like Winnie! I thought that she was a feisty, funny, and strong character! She was very charming, and I kept rooting for her throughout the novel! I really loved her relationship with David, who was her that she was forced to work with. Both of them complemented each other, and I loved their banter. I also thought the other characters, especially her sister were well-developed. I liked the world-building and the Asian mythology! Overall, this was a very charming novel about a girl trying to got into middle school! I recommend this novel for fans of Dragon Pearl, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and When You Trap a Tiger!

I really enjoyed this fantasy book. It has a great balance of humor, fantasy action, and realistic relatability. The dynamics between the different characters is especially well done.

The first sentence of the book captures the tone. "Middle school. Is there a scarier place on the planet?" Even scarier is a middle school being attacked by evil spirits that have crossed into our world. Winnie just wanted to avoid bullies and show up her lifelong nemesis, David Zuo; she did not want to become a shaman under the tutelage of her dead grandmother's spirit. And she definitely didn't want to be responsible for saving our world from these evil spirits. This is a lot for any sixth grader to handle, but especially one who is also trying to straddle the Chinese culture of her family and the American culture at school. Zhao combines all of these plot elements into a fun adventure story better than many of the recent titles bringing world mythology into the modern world. Recommended for fans of Aru Shah.

Chinese mythology mixed in with middle school drama. A fun read.

Winnie unlocks her shaman powers while trying to make moon cakes for her sixth grade bake sale. She learns from the spirit of her Loa Loa and is on a mission to clear out all spirits from her hometown, while under immense pressure from her parents to out perform the other kids in their community in everything she does.

This was written with a younger audience in mind for sure. I think 8-13 year olds would love it.

When you are a child of immigrant parents and your food and traditions are so different, it is hard to go to school and not be teased. I so wanted a PB&J sandwich on white bread as a kid but no such luck. So I could relate to the feelings of Winnie Zeng. When she unleashes her grandmother's spirit, hilarity ensues but I would have loved to have that experience to get me through school. I highly recommend this story to all middle school kids

This was so much fun, and genuinely hilarious at times, and it's making me really want to read Katie Zhao's other middlegrade. I loved the mix of fantasy elements set in Winnie's day to day life - she's still going to school and fighting with her sister and having all these normal middlegrade experiences, which made the story feel really balanced. Or maybe it's just that I really enjoy a contemporary setting. Either way, I would highly recommend this!

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I absolutely adored Winnie's character. This book is a fast paced middle grade fantasy. It is attention grabbing from the first page. I really enjoyed the Chinese Folklore in this book. This book is in stores for $16.99 (USD). I would highly recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone.

This was a decent little read! Very simple and straightforward, but it's strength is in it's depictions of Chinese-American culture. There is enough here to compel readers who like magic and fantasy and action with a nice message about acceptance. Middle readers would certainly enjoy this book.

This story was absolutely charming and a must-read for middle schoolers everywhere! It's funny and sweet and relatable. Even though Winnie is Chinese American and dealing with culturally specific challenges, her story and concerns and fears are universal and relatable. Katie Zhao did a fantastic job creating Winnie and her story world.

The rivalry between Winnie and David feels organic as do Winnie's challenges with Jessamyn and the other popular girls in school. The relationship with her big sister, Lisa, also tracks with real-life sibling relationships, making the resolution that much sweeter and compelling. Winnie's connection to her grandmother is wonderful to watch, and middle schoolers and adults alike will find themselves laughing out loud in several places. For those who are of any Asian heritage, the jokes will land even harder.

If there's any criticism to make, it's that occasionally the narrative voice slips from being a middle schooler to that of an adult trying to capture a middle schooler's voice. Readers might find themselves falling out of the story a little in those moments. However, Zhao finds her groove later in the book and keeps it mostly right in line with her target audience and her protagonist's outlook.

Those looking for a story about kids who can be heroes will absolutely love this one!

There was something about Winnie Zeng that didn't quite grasp my attention, and I'm having trouble articulating what it was. I found myself skim reading whole passages, and that's a sure sign that I'm not particularly connecting with a book.

I loved the little introduction to Chinese mythology, although would have liked to see more of it. I also enjoyed the dynamic of Winnie's Chinese family, and the clear pressure that she is under to perform and excel at everything.

However, for me, I felt there was something missing. There were long passages of similar situations (the sister being mean, baking mooncakes, hating on David etc), and then the action packed sequences seemed to be over before they'd even begun.

Thank you so much NetGalley and publisher for sharing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was such a fun fantasy read incorporating Chinese mythology. The main character, Winnie, has so much going on as a new sixth grader, so adding her hereditary powers as a shaman (after the discovery of her family's old magical cookbook) doesn't help her stress any less. She unleashes the powers of her grandmother and is soon in a fight against evil, and must partner with her rival, David, in order to vanquish the evil spirits and save her town from chaos.

I would highly recommend for fans of Percy Jackson and Aru Shah - I cannot wait to share this with my students!

I am loving the increase in Asian books/authors, something I didn't see enough of when I was a kid. This book is a great edition to the pantheon, and I can't wait to read more in the series. Not only does to appeal to kids who know what it's like to be different, but it's also a great way to read about Chinese mythology.

Such a fun and descriptive fantasy book for middle graders! Lots of new themes to explore for their minds and just an overall pure joy to read!