I loved this book and I think middle school students would really enjoy it as well, especially those of Asian backgrounds. While my own immigrant parents were not as extreme as Winnie's parents, they were pretty strict and I totally felt some of her own frustrations with not being good enough. But I think my parents were also too busy and exhausted to be as pushy and hypercritical/hypercompetitive with other (Asian) kids as Winnie's parents. But I definitely related to some of her experiences with her parents and I would have loved reading a book like this when I was younger. Her experiences with her school lunches, which she initially loved until other students made fun of her for it--unfortunately, that experience is not at all unusual and I felt so bad for her. Thrown on top of this her discovery that she is a Shaman in training and not just her, but also her archnemesis? This made for an excellent adventure that included a healthy dose of Chinese mythology (although I am Taiwanese, not Chinese). I initially thought this was part of the Riordan Presents imprint, but it is part of Random House Books. Still, those who have enjoyed the Riordan Presents imprint would love this book. After reading this, I'm planning on looking for the author's other books!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was such a cute book! Winnie Zeng is a fun and loveable character. I loved the Chinese mythology that was part of this story. Katie Zhao wrote a great middle school book and I hope there are more adventures to come! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for a digital arc of this title.

This was super fun, hilarious, and heartwarming at times, and out of all of Katie's characters, I definitely think Winnie is the one that 10-year-old me would've related to the most. I love Katie's middle grades, and while this one isn't my favourite of her books (it had too many pop culture references for my personal taste), I still really loved and enjoyed it. I'm seeing a lot of people recommend this for fans of Percy Jackson, but I personally think The Dragon Warrior series is a better comp for that. I personally think that this book is more MIB vibes with Chinese mythology, but either way, I highly recommend this (and Katie's other middle grades)!

I absolutely LOVED this book! Winnie was hysterical and her interactions with her "nemesis" made her even more funny. The banter was awesome and was filled with so much snark & hijinks. I'm so anxious for the next book because so much went on in this book that I didn't want to put it down and was resentful when it ended. I've already been recommending it to people I know!

This book wove an amazing tale of Chinese mythology. Showing the troubles of starting middle school while balancing the responsibilities of vanquishing demons. Winnie and David are a refreshingly realistic take on enemies to friends as they work together and embrace who they really are all while battling the struggles of middle school life.

Wonderful story of a sixth grader finding her own way. The banter between Winnie and David was adorable. We follow Winnie as she just entered middle school and she has to figure out her way. She is a proud Chinese American but quickly realizes that her Chinese culture is not accepted by all Americans at her new school. Winnie just wants to fit in. On top of that she has to be better than everyone else because her parents keep comparing her to her sister and her enemy. If life wasn’t hard enough for Winnie she finds out that she is a Shaman and has to protect her town. Winnie has to find a balance. Super cute read.

"You can do better than this. <i>Mama and Baba always said those words to me, too. Whenever I brought home an assignment that was less than perfect. Whenever I missed even a single note while playing a piano piece. 'Maybe *I'm* the one who's no good,' I muttered under my breath."</i>

TL;DR: A solidly fun middle-grade story that blends adventure, food, and mythology against a backdrop of navigating middle-school and family expectations. (Very <i>en vogue</i> right now -- something about Millenial storytellers, I think.)
<i><b>I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</i></b>

Vibes: MCU's <i>Ms. Marvel</i> + Netflix's Over The Moon w/a dash of Expecto Patronum & Dementor Fighting

Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy / Mythology
**Probably first in a series.
**Also, NOT a story published by Rick Riordan's imprint, which I'm honestly surprised by because it seems like it'd fit well. (I thought it was when I started reading.)

Romance Meter: ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡
No romance at all -- not even a mention of crushes! 🎉 -- which is refreshing (and, TBH, appropriate for a middle-grade book).

Character MVP: Winnie's grandmother, Lao Lao. I'm a sucker for a grandmother-granddaughter relationship, but this is one fun broad.

Verdict: A solidly fun read for me at the end of the semester.

I appreciated:
✔️ -- the relationship between Winnie and Lao Lao, as again, I'm a sucker for a grandmother story, especially when it's about continuing a relationship with her granddaughter.
✔️ -- the diverse mythology and representation; one of the best things about the success of Percy Jackson is that it's increased the number of stories about other, non-Euro-centric mythologies that are out there. And as someone who *voraciously* read every mythology story she could when she was younger, I really love this. I love learning about other mythologies and hearing the stories that are told.
✔️ -- this is, first and foremost, a story about fitting in at middle school. I've read my fair share of urban fantasy where the (middle school) problems and setting fade into the background, but Zeng blends them really well, intertwining the spirit realm shenanigans with the middle school setting
✔️ -- how Winnie struggles with the expectations placed on her by her family and her time commitments, and how there's actually a point where she thinks she might not take up her Chosen One Mantle because it's just too stressful. But...

...that actually leads me to some of the things I would have liked to see more of:
✖️ -- I really would have liked to see Winnie have a strong female friendship. I know that Katie Zhao was trying to show how alienated and lonely Winnie was because of her struggles, but...there were Mean Girls (and middle school girls ARE mean), and it would have been nice to balance that out with a female friendship (that wasn't her grandmother). I know she and David reached a sort of truce at the end, but it's not the same. Until recently, lack of female friendships was a really common occurrence (see: Disney princesses) and while Winnie's focus was academics not romance...it still stood out to me.
✖️ -- More training. I'm just saying -- Winnie basically shrugged off her shaman duties for a while (a week, basically, since the time span of the book is only 2 weeks?) and then just magically levels up. Maybe that's thinking too much about the plot though.
✖️ -- I also would have liked to see Winnie verbalize her struggles to *someone* -- her sister confides in her (a little bit) and Winnie kinda says some things back to her, but its all very vague.
Winnie is such a strong & courageous character, and she tells *the reader* how she's struggling, but no one else around her really learns that. She doesn't tell her parents about the 'crushing weight of expectations' (they magically just say they may have been to hard on the girls); she doesn't tell Lisa when her sister confides in her; and she doesn't tell David that one of the reasons there's tension between them is because her parents are constantly comparing her to him. So...yeah. I would have liked to see her tell someone how she was feeling.

Maybe that will happen in the sequels though.

How I wish the author could find a time machine, and go back to publish this book during my teaching days. This winsome, fast-paced, generous and insightful middle grade novel would have been perfect for reading aloud to my fifth and sixth graders. Especially some of the clueless ones who didn't intend to be mean, but had been raised to regard anything outside of whitbread culture as "euuuw, gross!" A story like this illustrates and enlightens and intrigues without tipping over into the dreaded Finger of Authority shaking under the kid reader's nose to lecture them for their own good.

Winnie Zeng is a normal kid with a rival who is constantly held up to her in comparison by parents who value hard work and getting ahead . . . maybe a tad too competitively? When stress fractures appear in a family as a result, it is time to back off and reassess, and so the Zengs discover--while at the same time there is Grandma Lao Lao's ghost at Winnie's shoulder, and evils from the mythic dimension spreading chaos, and oh, there's David, Annie's rival, who is also learning to be a shaman.

The author expertly juggles all these story elements, never letting character be subsumed by pyrotechnics in this funny, delicious, zany, and altogether charming fantasy.

My mythology focus this month is Chinese mythology, so getting the ARC for this middle-grade novel was serendipitous. I’m loving the expansion of Percy Jackson-like middle grade novels across many different cultures.

This book follows 6th grader Winnie Zeng, a Chinese American who has a lot on her plate - keeping her grades up at school, pleasing her parents, and besting her rival David in piano competitions. When making mooncakes for a school bake sale, the old family recipe unlocks her grandmother’s spirit who’s there to tell Winnie that she is a shaman who now has to protect the world from wayward, evil spirits!

This was super cute and fun. I adored Winnie and sympathized with her struggle to be perfect all the time. The added responsibility of being a shaman on top of all that? I understand why she hesitated. But Winnie rises to the occasion, using her knowledge of Chinese folklore to save her town. And through all this, she learns that she shouldn’t be ashamed of her heritage.

Middle grade books are sometimes a struggle for me since I’m not the intended audience, but I think kids these days will enjoy this. Definitely recommend if you’re a fan of Percy Jackson.

Thank you to Random House Kids and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun read! I absolutely adored this. Winnie was such a funny character who was full of heart, drive and passion. I loved her so much. The premise of this was so interesting. I don't really a lot of middle grade now, but I have loved everything Katie has written, so I took the leap and boy was I glad I did! If you're looking for something fun, light-hearted, but also full of intrigue, fantasy and history- this book is absolutely one you shouldn't miss!

There is so much growth and discovery in this, as well as letting kids be kids. Granted, I am not the target audience for this book, but I will gladly recommend this to anyone with kids this age and adults alike. This book is that good. You can't go wrong with WINNIE ZENG! This is a winner!

Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend is exactly the kind of book I wish was available to me when I was growing up. I can really see myself in Winnie and the other characters. I love Winnie's spunk and attitude. Paired together with her flaws of her insecurities and a bit of magic, it made for a thrilling adventure that also touches readers. Katie Zhao did an amazing job in creating relatable characters and conveying messages of perfection/imperfection, generational burdens, and Asian American experiences. I am looking forward to where the rest of this series goes.

Imagine trying to whip up some goodies for a class bake sale and accidentally summoning the spirit of your dead grandmother. Sounds a bit unusual, right? But that is just the beginning for Winnie as she learns that she is destined to be the latest shaman in her family and her grandmother (Lao Lao) expects her to train on top of her already hectic schedule of homework, Chinese school on the weekends, piano lessons, and surviving parents with high expectations and middle school in general. As if there were not enough challenges in Winnie's life, her older sister has become a complete pain and now David Zuo, her nemesis from Chinese school and piano competitions has transferred to Winnie's school. Life can be so unfair!

The story of Winnie and her battle to save her town from unfriendly spirits is mixed in with her struggles to survive middle school. "Is there a scarier place on the planet?" Winnie asks readers in the first paragraph of her story. Besides all her school and extracurricular activities, Winnie also has to cope with a group of mean girls who enjoy teasing her when she brings Chinese food for lunch and the way her parents constantly compare her accomplishments to those of David. The frustrations of sixth grade (school, family, competition) are described with humor and enough detail to make them easy for readers to picture clearly and still sympathize. Familiar tropes such as enemies to allies and confrontations with mean girls make the story more believable, even as Winnie is also facing off with evil spirits.

Great for middle grade readers who enjoy the Rick Riordan Presents type stories that include mythology and folklore from cultures around the world, as well as for those who like to see a female protagonist as the hero rather than a damsel to be rescued.

Winnie was a delightful character and I loved how Chinese folklore and culture was woven into the story. I appreciated the relatable elements of Winnie fitting into middle school, fighting with her older sister Lisa, and trying to live up to her expectations. I also appreciated the unique challenges Winnie faced in being picked on for bringing her traditional Asian lunches to school and her teacher not being able to tell her and another Asian student apart in class. The magic in her newly discovered powers as a shaman and its necessity to save her hometown was a really fun part of the book. Overall, this was such a lovely read and I would recommend it to anyone!
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC and the opportunity to share my opinions on the book!

This was a fun read! Winnie is the heroine that every middle school needs! An eleven-year-old shaman fighting evil spirits with moon cakes! Love it!
What I liked most about the book was how relatable Winnie was. She’s this fun and witty girl just trying to find her power while trying to live up to her parent’s impossible expectations and navigate her difficult relationship with her older sister.
I also appreciate all the Sailor Moon references! Made my heart happy!
Definitely recommending this book!
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the eARC.

Sixth grader Winnie Zeng has two goals: survive middle school and beat her longtime opponent David at Chinese school and piano competitions. To prepare for middle school, Winnie has studied comic books and anime. The only problem is that one common thread in those stories is magical powers, and she obviously doesn’t have those. Or at least she thought she didn’t, until she made her grandmother’s moon cakes recipe for a school bake sale and suddenly the spirit of her grandmother is talking to her through her pet bunny, which definitely wasn’t in the anime she studied!

Katie Zhao’s Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend is a laugh out loud funny middle grade novel that beautifully weaves together modern Chinese American life with Chinese mythology in a fast-paced plot.

First-person narrator Winnie is hilarious, often lightening serious moments with her humor. She also shines a light on the pressure middle schoolers face, from fitting in to mountains of homework to extracurriculars. Winnie has to balance battling evil spirits to prevent the world as she knows it from descending into chaos and studying for that pre-algebra test, and the struggle is real. Winnie is a fantastic narrator, who finally shows that being the Chosen One isn’t all its cracked up to be, especially when you have an English test this week. She not only struggles with self-confidence, like every tween and teen, but also with the constant comparisons she has to hear. Her parents compare her to her sister and her rival, the other adults in their close knit Chinese American community compare all the kids to one another and have humble-brag competitions that Winnie expertly narrates, even as she tries to escape to hide in the bathroom.

Winnie Zeng is full of painfully accurate middle school moments— the cafeteria hierarchies, the bake sale drama, the soul crushing loneliness that comes from feeling so alone. Winnie has both universal struggles, such as these, as well as experiences more unique to immigrant heritages, such as her packed lunch being different from the PB&J fare that populates so many other lunch boxes. Zhao expertly shows these moments without slowing the fast pace of the novel, making Winnie not only relatable and endearing, but setting the reader up to cheer her on as she faces bigger and bigger battles.

The action sequences in this book are fantastic. The battles are well-described and often bring in a dose of humor to lighten the moment, as well. Winnie’s fish-out-of-water experience as a hero provides plenty of comedic relief even when the stakes are high, and the reader can’t help but cheer her on through her moments of self-doubt.

The scenes between Winnie and her sister Lisa perfectly encapsulate sisterhood and the struggle that comes with changing people and relationships. Winnie’s ability to receive guidance from her grandmother’s spirit is one that may make young readers cherish their relatives more, and adult readers miss their departed loved ones a little bit more. Lao Lao’s spirit not only helps train Winnie as she develops her abilities, but also helps her see the value in her relationship with her sister.

Winnie Zeng is appealing to all readers, as it has a great balance of characters. The battles, action sequences, emotional discussions, and addressing of bullying would make this an excellent classroom read.

Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend will be available 26 April 2022. Thank you to Katie Zhao, Random House Children’s, and NetGalley for an advanced ebook edition such that I could share my honest opinions.

It is the beginning of sixth grade, and Winnie Zeng is determined to do her best to succeed in her myriad endeavors and make her family proud. But when her intellectual nemesis David appears in the halls of her new school and people begin making fun of her because of the food she brings for lunch, Winnie wonders if she is up to the challenge. If only she could be like the superheroes in the manga and anime stories she enjoys so much… A class bake sale inspires Winnie to explore some of her family's treasured recipes, which leads her to a very special book tucked beneath several others in the kitchen. Unbeknownst to Winnie, the choice to use this cookbook will link her to her family in more ways than she expects, and surviving middle school will quickly become the least of her problems.

This fast-paced middle grade story explores many of the complicated feelings and events inherent to middle school amidst the excitement of supernatural powers and Chinese legends. As part of a Chinese-American family, Winnie straddles two cultures throughout this story. Attending both American and Chinese school is only one piece of the equation, though; she must also balance American and Chinese cuisine alongside western and eastern folkloric traditions. Additionally, she feels suffocated by the high expectations placed upon her by her family, especially as she is often compared to others in her vicinity who are more successful than she is. These many feelings come to light throughout the novel, and Winnie attempts to work through each of them while beginning to come to terms with who she truly wants to be.

Fans of folklore and superheroes will fall for Winnie and her spirit from the first pages of the book. She is not perfect, but she is always working hard for what she wants. References to video games, manga, anime, and pop culture appear throughout the book, grounding readers to reality as Winnie's story takes on a supernatural twist. The legend of Hou Yi and Chang E is likewise woven into this story, which is enjoyable for anyone who is familiar with Chinese legends or has seen Over the Moon. And, as food is such a strong element of this story, recipes for two treats described in the book are found at the end for readers to try on their own. This is a stunning overture to the Winnie Zeng series, and it is a delightful inclusion to libraries for middle grade readers.

This was such a fun read! A wonderful middle grade read full of Chinese mythology, the funny musings of a middle schooler, and even RECIPES for some of the yummy food mentioned in the story!

Winnie is a great protagonists that readers will route for and relate to. Everything from her rivalry with David to her relationship with her older sister really hit home, as I'm sure it will with many readers. Her life and thoughts felt so real, the author does a great job of really getting in to the middle grade mindset.

I loved the Chinese mythology and foods mentioned throughout the story. They both play such a huge roll not only in Winnie's life, but in the story as a whole, and I think that will be so important for so many readers.

I highly recommend this story for readers of all ages who appreciate middle schoolers saving the world, fans of mythology, and anyone looking for a little escape.

Such an adorable book and what a fun adventure to follow! Winnie was such a fun character and was definitely realistic for an 11-year-old!

Following Winnie as she navigated being the child of Chinese immigrants, she is suddenly throw into the world of spirits and shamanism. How does she find this out exactly? Well, by finding a dusty family cookbook and then her grandmother’s spirit comes out of her pet rabbit. Winnie herself has a love for comics and anime and it really shows in how she sees herself or life around her. I loved seeing Winnie becoming this anime heroine that she always looked up to.

Such a fun book that I would recommend to anyone interested!!
Thank you so much again Netgalley and Katie Zhao for the opportunity to read this early in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Random House Children's Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this Science Fiction / Fantasy novel for Middle Graders.

Winnie discovers that she can talk to ghosts. I enjoyed the novel very much.

This is such a such a delightful story.
We are following Winnie Zeng, a young girl on the verge of entering Middle School and learning life will change. She loves her family, and making her parents proud. She laments that her sister turned into a different girl when she hit middle school and is sad they are no longer close.

When Winnie starts Middle School she starts to realize that things are harder than she expected - the mean girls make fun of her traditional Chinese lunches, & her Chinese-School nemesis David is now at her school. Then she decides to practice making Mooncakes for her schools bakesale and accidentally unleashes her power as a Shaman, and with it her grandmothers spirit comes to this world to help train her.

What follows is a really relatable and emotional journey of Winnie learning how to advocate for herself, and make herself happy. She loves her family but when their expectations are too much for her - she has to decide whose happiness matters most to her.

I felt the author did a really great job of exploring Chinese myths, as well as showing a loving family that still has a lot of problems. Her parents are too hard on her - but they genuinely want to do right by them. The sisters fight because they dont see eye to eye about life but through growing up Winnie begins to understand why her sister feels the way she feels and I hope if this is a series we get to see more bonding and growth between them.

David's message at the end about working 'smarter not harder' I think was really smart and useful advice for Winnie and the audience. I also love that this book included recipes for the food! I have never had red bean paste, and I am really curious to try it now!

Ultimately - if you're a fan of hero stories like Percy Jackson I think this will absolutely be up your alley.