227:, the first emperor of China, Zach is standoffish and suspicious. Later during an unexpectedly hostile confrontation between the new boy, Simon, and Zach's so-called friends, Zach abruptly becomes aware that he is being possessed by the spirit of Qin Shi Huang, the legendary first emperor of China. Qin Shi Huang explains that this is possible because Zach is Qin Shi Huang's direct descendant, and that he needs Zach's help to help prevent a catastrophe that could destroy China and possibly the world. Without meaning to, Zach forcibly exorcises the spirit of Qin Shi Huang, and flees. Without a mortal host, Qin Shi Huang's spirit is almost forced to return to the spirit world, but realizes in time that Zach's AR Headset, his "XY Technologies Portal-lens", is sophisticated enough to act as a host, allowing Qin Shi Huang's spirit to remain on the mortal plane.
306:(2021) and commented that "the two books speak to Zhao's obsessions – both with anime, the visual storytelling popularized in Japan that's gone global, and with Chinese history and mythology. In both novels, the mythic past gets translated into the future. But these similarities are superficial: The first book is a primal scream brimming with horror at the world its young heroine inherits, while the new novel plots a tween's journey from zero to, if not hero, then someone of substance. For all their differences of mood, the novels rescue what is valuable to Zhao in Chinese history and myth, and project it forward – creating artistic acts of cultural reappropriation".
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family afloat. As a result of her busy schedule, and a desire to help Zach assimilate into western culture, Zach was raised without much knowledge of China's history, culture, or language. Despite that absence, he is often singled out for being the one Asian kid in school, and so does his best to distance himself from anything that might make him seem more
172:, which was a really formative media franchise when I was growing up. I got the idea of the First Emperor of China, which I was really obsessed with because his story is so fascinating. What if he possessed a little kid and then sent him to China on an adventure? Yu-Gi-Oh does a lot of crossover between technology and magic, so that's what I did in
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that they had experienced at the age of twelve when they were the only Asian student in their school. Zhao stated it took many years to "unpack" that experience and that "in writing this book, I really do hope to maybe do some of that unpacking for future generations so they don't have as rough of an
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Through the portal-lens, Qin Shi Huang is able to explain to Zach that spirits from the underworld are trying to force their way into the mortal world, and in 14 days, they'll be able to break through, possess any mortal they choose, and unleash all of the worst weapons humanity has access to. Zach
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Zachary Ying is a 12-year-old boy whose mother fled China after the death of his father to escape a dangerous political situation. His now single mother was absolutely devoted to Zach, and did everything she could to provide for him, though this often meant working multiple jobs to keep their small
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in the book is mispronounced. The original audiobook edition will remain for sale while rerecording occurs; Zhao stated: "I've been assured that buyers of it will get the new version automatically after it comes out". Zhao also commented that, "I have to stress that I do not blame the VA for taking
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Muslims and other minorities.' Compact history lessons woven throughout guide Zack through the plot and into a greater understanding of his identity, while plentiful pop culture references root this fantastical read in the contemporary, making for a quickly paced book that's by turns educational,
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a "creative, engaging story" and highlighted that the novel appeals "to fans of ancient mythology and world history". Brynsvold wrote that "the plot will draw readers in, but what will keep them is Zach's struggle to belong, his journey to find himself and discover real friendship, as well as the
349:"YELLING as I finally get to reveal the cover for Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor, my middle grade adventure in the vein of Chinese Percy Jackson meets Yugioh! SO MUCH LOVE TO KARYN LEE FOR THE COVER DESIGN AND @Velinxi FOR THE ILLUSTRATION! Preorder: [LINK] [IMAGES]"
264:, commented that, "Gamer Zachary Ying desperately wants to fit in outside the virtual world of Mythrealm, but as the only Asian kid in his largely white Maine town, he finds himself quietly suffering microaggressions and peer pressure to avoid standing out. Zack's Chinese family is also
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528:"So. Thread about the Zachary Ying audiobook: Turns out my publisher got a Japanese VA to narrate it, which means ALL the Mandarin in it is wrong. I didn't find this out until after its release bc I was never sent samples of the audiobook in progress or any preview of it 1/9"
565:"My publisher is now working on finding an actual Mandarin speaker to rerecord the whole audiobook. They briefly took the current version down from retailers, but I told them it can stay up bc I DO like the VA's performance and who knows how long a new version will take 8/9"
318:'s 2022 "11 exciting books for your kids' summer reading list" — the article states: "weaving Chinese history in with questions about identity and belonging, kids will zip through this action-packed novel by Xiran Jay Zhao as they cheer on Zachary in his heroic quest".
599:"So it's YOUR choice if you want to get the current audiobook or not. I've been assured that buyers of it will get the new version automatically after it comes out. I uploaded my original pronunciation guide if you want to hear the correct Mandarin: [LINK] 9/9"
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to learn about his heritage in order to master the power of the
Emperor's legend. Only with their combined spirit powers can they complete their epic quest across China to seal the spirit plug, and prevent the spirits from breaking free.
633:"I have to stress that I do not blame the VA for taking the job so please do not harass them in any way! They clearly worked hard on the audiobook and gave a great performance, it's just a shame about the Mandarin"
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highlighting of underrepresented mythologies. While the folklore and history might not be as smoothly incorporated as other mythological fantasies, it's done well enough that middle grade readers won't mind".
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than he already feels. So when a strange boy of Asian descent approaches Zach in school and wants to tell Zach all about
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the job . They clearly worked hard on the audiobook and gave a great performance, it's just a shame about the
Mandarin".
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496:"'I get to see myself more': Why writing a middle-grade book made Vancouver author Xiran Jay Zhao feel seen"
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176:. The First Emperor possesses this kid's AR gaming headset . So then I basically wrote a book based on that.
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boy on his journey to save China from a horde of ancient spirits while being guided by the spirit of
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Zhao also commented that they put the lead character
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Cover illustration by Xiao Tong "Velinxi" Kong and cover design by Karyn Lee
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840:"Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao, Read by Neo Cihi"
722:"Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor (Zachary Ying #1) by Xiran Jay Zhao"
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In June 2022, Zhao announced that the publisher would be rerecording the
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highlighted the audiobook edition in May 2022 and stated that the
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788:"Xiran Jay Zhao uses the power of #BookTok to find new audiences"
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is a 2022 Canadian middle grade contemporary fantasy novel by
813:"11 exciting books for your kids' summer reading list"
438:"Spring 2022 Children's Announcements: Publishers R-Z"
436:Lodge, Sally; Maughan, Shannon (18 February 2022).
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273:reflective, and thrilling".
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925:recorded by Xiran Jay Zhao
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955:Asian-Canadian literature
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465:"New Books: 10 May 2022"
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760:School Library Journal
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945:2022 Canadian novels
818:Entertainment Weekly
751:Brynsvold, Kristin.
315:Entertainment Weekly
347:(19 October 2021).
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667:The New York Times
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848:. 2022-05-26
845:Literary Hub
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332:References
303:Iron Widow
266:Hui Muslim
149:Background
139:Hui Muslim
701:0362-4331
501:CBC Books
414:CBC Books
321:AudioFile
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237:Wu Zetian
199:audiobook
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