MIKA'S QUEST FOR THE LOST ARTIFACT

A young girl learns about San Francisco’s history through a fantastic adventure in Fan’s series-starting illustrated chapter book for middle-grade readers.

Mika and her pet unicorn, Polo, begin their adventure in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park while picnicking with her parents near the Japanese Tea Garden. At the garden’s Taiwanese pavilion, Mika “stared at the golden Chinese characters on the pavilion’s bright red columns. Suddenly, they changed before her eyes, spelling out a secret message!” Mika and Polo take a closer look and are transported to the California Academy of Sciences, where they find out that Tyrannosaurus rex is known as the “king of the dinosaurs”; a T. rex skeleton provides them the second clue of their adventure. Further clues take Mika and Polo around San Francisco; along the way, Fan shares informative historical details with her young readers and introduces city landmarks, including a statue of the Greek goddess Nike at Union Station, Lombard Street’s twists and turns, and the Palace of Fine Arts, where Mika receives a magical scepter that allows her to pass through special gateways in time. Throughout, the author weaves engaging facts about San Francisco and its history into a compelling adventure. Soylu’s painterly cartoon illustrations are colorful and whimsical, with a sassy protagonist and an adorable unicorn. (Mika is portrayed with brown skin; her father is noted in the text to be Taiwanese, and her mother is identified as Latina.) The illustrations ably reflect the real-life locations, including the tall, arched bridges of Golden Gate Park; a very simple map of the city is included.

A well-crafted book that may inspire kids to embark on their own city adventures.