Amy is a young girl who loves painting but has lost her confidence and heart for it. She gets to go spend some time with her grandmother who is an amazing artist. Amy soon discovers a paintbrush that can bring things to life, but it seems to have particular rules about how it works.

I love the concept of drawing/painting things that come to life! This book was fun and adventurous as Amy is learning to use the paintbrush and get it back when it's stolen. You get to see her learn and grow as a person as well which is nice.

As an artist myself, I connected with this book right away. What an imaginative story, it would be so fun to have the power to bring art to life! Drizzled with Chinese folklore and a LAO (grandma) for a fun sidekick, the journey to protect the magic paintbrush begins. As the duo paints, the characters come to life and only retreat when the paintbrush is broken. Enter the villain – and get to hear his POV too – a great addition to the story. The chapters include beautiful illustrations that will keep you turning the pages. Way to kickstart this series, I can’t wait for more.

Holy cow what a way to start a new series. The Magic Paintbrush was such a page turner I could not put it down. You had short chapters and amazing illustrations which grabbed you and would not let you go until you finished the book.

I loved all the characters and you even had a baddie who for once was actually realistic and added to the story.

I could go on raving about this wonderful book and tell you more but I'm not going to do that as I don't do spoilers ever but I will say if you pick this book up you will be guaranteed and amazing time.

Someone from either TV land or Movie land needs to pick this book up and develop it. I honestly can't wait for the next book.

For all the above reasons The Magic Paint Brush receives 5 stars.

⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Since I’m well past middle grade age, I don’t read a lot of Middle Grade fiction anymore, but on the rare occasions I do, I have two different tiers that I use for reviewing–do I like this now as an adult and would middle grade Veronica like this? It’s not really fair to use the first question as a way to evaluate a book meant to be read by, you know, actual children, so I generally use the latter when critiquing middle grade books.

The Magic Paintbrush is one of the few MG books that I enjoyed even as an adult and that young Veronica would have devoured.

Kat Zhang’s latest book is a magical adventure that takes readers from the bustling streets of Flushing, Queens to the picturesque Chinese countryside in Guiling. Amy, a budding young artist,

The book is well-written and full of a kind of understated humor that both kids and adults can enjoy. I think there’s sometimes a misconception that stories for younger audiences have to be watered down or overly simplified. While there’s certainly a need to for developmentally appropriate stories (you can’t expect a ten-year-old to read at a university level,) I think we sometimes swing too far into the other extreme and underestimate just how much young readers can understand and appreciate, and writers can fall into the habit of giving their MG books dull and dry language, thinking middle grade readers won’t appreciate anything else.

Kat Zhang clearly doesn’t subscribe to the school of thought that clever writing is “wasted” on children. Whether it’s varying her sentence structure or being particular with word choice, it’s obvious she put thought and care into, not just the mechanics of the story’s plot, but the actual storytelling aspect as well, which makes The Magic Paintbrush an enjoyable read even if you aren’t the target audience.

The Magic Paintbrush is so much more than your typical magical adventure story. It touches on the idea of legacy and intergenerational familial relationships. From the very moment her illustration appeared on the page, Lao Lao captured my heart and immediately became my favorite character. Amy’s maternal grandma is, in many ways, your stereotypical Chinese grandma with a house crammed full stuff, a feathery perm, and a penchant for expressing love and hospitality through food, but she’s also an energetic artist with a sense of adventure. I loved seeing her personality shine through the page and wish we’d gotten more time to see her relationship with Amy develop more.

The story is fast-paced and enjoyable. It’s probably perfect for middle grade readers, but the adult in me can’t help but wish we’d gotten to see things teased out just a little bit more. Zhang touches on Chinese myths and gives us glimpses of the setting (Flushing and Guiling,) but I would’ve loved for those to be expanded just a little more. Similarly, I loved the coming-of-age element and seeing Amy’s struggles to grow as an artist and her beliefs that she must abandon her childish imagination to become a “Serious Artist” and wish we’d gotten to see that idea developed a little more. I’m still not sure how I feel about the Villian POV chapters interspersed throughout the book, but I didn’t hate it as much as I initially thought I would.

With a magic paintbrush, the limits of your imagination are endless. Kat Zhang brings this legend to life in the most exquisite way in her new middle grade novel. A gorgeous and relatable coming of age tale with a myth rich in history and culture; one that is probably brand new to many readers. The story and the artwork blend together in perfect harmony to create a captivating experience of magical realism. Multigenerational relationships, art appreciation, and a magical paintbrush that brings thrills and adventure make this a truly remarkable read for all age!
4.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Crown Books for Young Readers for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley. 3.5 stars rounded up!

TL;DR: The Magic Paintbrush is an action-packed, adventure-filled, Chinese mythology-inspired middle-grade fantasy with wonderful illustrations to accompany a fun and creative story! Amy was a relatable main character who was easy to root for and I loved her relationship with her Lao Lao and Luna—who is unquestionably my favourite character in this book. The story doesn't dive too deep into character development and neither does it go too hard with its themes, but I think that is also what would make this a great pick for young readers who simply want an enjoyable and entertaining fantasy story. Overall, while this wasn't my favourite as an adult reader of MG, it was still a terrific read that I would recommend to the young readers in my life.

The story is told from two POVs: our MC, Amy and the villain of our story, Chen. Amy is a young girl who aspires to be a great artist whose work is taken seriously. In her quest to achieve this, she feels the need to leave behind her old art because she deems it too childish and unserious, but as a result, she struggles with creating art that feels authentic to her. I feel like the tumultuous emotions Amy experience is something young readers will be able to relate to, especially if they read this around the same age as her because at that age, they experience so many changes in their lives. If I remember correctly, everything experienced in the early teen years is a pretty big deal whether or not that's truly the case. 😂 Still, I loved how she came back to loving her art through this wild journey and it certainly helped that she had Lao Lao and Luna by her side. I loved that Lao Lao was a deceptively frail-looking grandma but was an absolute warrior when it came down to it. At one point, she's likened to an exotic house plant with teeth and I have to say, that's spot on, lol. As an artist and enthusiast, there is much to bond over with Amy and it was sweet to see how their relationship grew. However, my favourite character was Luna. I loved his enthusiasm with everything and I couldn't help but smile every time he would appear on the page. His positivity was also infectious! There is a humorous tone woven into the story but I found it especially obvious when Luna was involved and it made for some great chuckle-out-loud moments.

I'd never heard of the magic paintbrush story before this book, so I thought the concept was quite cool! I mean, who wouldn't want to have a paintbrush that can bring your creations to life—whether it be fantastical creatures, wondrous inventions, far-flung fantasy settings, or delicious foods? The younger me would've been thrilled at the idea of owning something so *magical*! I love how Zhang was able to give the paintbrush character through the story and it added more meaning to the belief behind the magic. This message was woven in smoothly with the fears and doubts that Amy was facing as a young artist. In the most literal sense, to find the magic in art again, she had to believe in her talent without overthinking/worrying about creating something perfect because nothing ever is.

The other POV is Chen, the villain of the story. He's a spoiled rotten rich young man who parties too hard, has no concept of responsibility or respect, has zero morals, and is basically kind of pathetic. He's a narcissist and driven purely by greed and I think what made him scary was that he's the kind of person that would go to any length to get what he wants simply because he wants it. That kind of evil drive is terrifying and I was so worried thinking about what he'd do next. I was honestly a bit disappointed that he was so one-dimensional but if the goal was to make it easy for young readers to understand why he's so unlikeable and how you shouldn't grow up to be like him, the author did a good and straightforward job of making that statement.

I'm not sure if this will be a series but with the way the story ends, I have a feeling it will be! Overall, I'm glad this was put on my radar and I honestly wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to parents/teachers/anyone who wants a recommendation for a diverse, well-written and illustrated story for their young readers.

What an excellent fantasy that I can't wait to recommend to readers! The main character is relatable and engaging, the adventure pulls you along well, and the book is SHORT enough to read in a couple sittings! My patrons are clamoring for fantasy under 300 pages and between the great story and engaging art (I can't wait to see the final!) I doubt I'll be able to keep this one on the shelf.

3.5 stars. This light fantasy book’s strength is its quick-moving plot. Characterization and world-building remain pretty surface-level, and though it has a higher page count, difficulty and detail-wise it feels more like reading a Branches book. It also has sizable and frequent illustrations—so could be a good recommendation to kids who are looking to move a little up from Branches books. The “magic” of the paintbrush is that what one paints, if one really concentrates and connects while painting, comes to life—a concept we’ve seen many times before in children’s fiction (Polly Diamond, etc).

Also posted to Goodreads. Thanks for the digital ARC!

As a 30yr old artist, I became entranced in this well-crafted children’s fiction that dances with Chinese folklore. Amy is a young artist who is questioning herself as an artist against her peers. She feels her art has to “grow up” as she does, and feels blocked artistically when her art doesn’t come out the way she anticipates. Spring break changes all of that as Amy goes on an epic adventure with her Lao Lao to protect the magic paintbrush from falling into the wrong hands. Illustrations guide Amy’s vivid fun and adventures.

Zhang, Kat, The Magic Paintbrush. Pgs. 256. Penguin Random House, 2024

Amy loves when she visits her grandmother Lao Lao in Flushing. The two bond over art. Painting one day with one her grandmother’s jade paintbrushes, she learns that they are magical. When she paints a tiger, it come to life until she breaks the brush. Once she repairs it, it fixes. She continues to explore her painting with the brush. Meanwhile, nearby Chen’s painting of a taotie comes to life. He soon puts two and two together and is determines to stop the reckless painter. When he sees a video Amy posts, he realizes that she’s that painter and it alerts him to Amy’s whereabouts. Determined to put an end to Amy’s painting and get his paintbrush back, Chen comes after Amy with his taotie. Can Amy stop Chen?

The plot is simple, engaging, and magical. The characters are a little underdeveloped but are likable and engaging. Th world building is well done and helps bring Amy’s world to life. Illustrations are detailed, vivid, and help bring the story to life. Fans of fantasy, adventure, and art will want to pick this one up. Recommended for library collections where fantasy adventures are popular. 4 stars, Gr 2 to 4.

Please note: This was a review copy given to us by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

What a beautiful, beautiful book, filled with emotions and feelings, and art! This is a beautifully written middle-grade chapter book with adorable drawings. This book is filled with with fantasy, adventure, and a hefty touch of China. This is perfect for young readers who love their stories to be filled with some art and magic.

Thoroughly enjoyed this inventive and fun adventure. Young readers will love the interior illustrations. I always enjoy intergenerational stories this was fantastic. This is perfect for young readers who want a fantasy story that isn’t too complicated.

sadly I'm not able to read this one at all , I tried to send it to my kindle to read since its so much eaiser to read on them the Netgalley app and i couldn't get it to work ,