DRAGON MOUNTAIN

A group of friends find themselves in the middle of a war threatening both Dragon and Human Realms.

Instead of surfing waves at home in San Francisco, Billy Chan’s parents have sent him to a summer language camp in China, led by an elderly man nicknamed Old Gold. Billy’s dad is from Hong Kong and his mother is White and American, and his Mandarin skills are limited. He quickly makes friends with campmates Dylan from Ireland, Southern belle (and martial artist) Charlotte—both of whom are White—and Ling-Fei, a local Chinese girl. Before long Billy notices some paranormal activity around the camp. The plot quickly progresses as the group experiences an earthquake—apparently the children inadvertently opened a mountain populated by four dragons who tell them that they are their matches. If the kids agree to bond with them, their combined powers can defeat the evil Dragon of Death, who threatens to conquer both Dragon and Human Realms. The kids agree, with varying levels of trepidation, but upon entering the Dragon Realm, they encounter seemingly impossible obstacles. The Dragon Realm features magical elements drawn from Chinese and European folktales, including winged dragons and rock trolls. While the story contains enough excitement to maintain readers’ attention, solutions sometimes seem to present themselves too conveniently along the way. A sequel is promised with a cliffhanger ending.

A high-interest read.