The Spindle of Fate

by Aimee Lim Narrated by Jennifer Sun Bell

Overview

When Evie Mei discovers that her recently passed mother was the head of a guild of magical weavers, she enters the Chinese netherworld to try and bring her back in this middle-grade debut.

Twelve-year-old Evie Mei Huang never did like helping in her mom's tailor shop. She hated dyeing and spooling the thread and how the measuring tape gets all twisted up. Most of all, now that her mother has died, she hates that she isn't here anymore.

When the universe sends a life preserver, Evie knows to grab it. So it's weird when a talking monkey shows up and tells her that her plain, hardworking tailor mother was actually the head of a guild of magical weavers who control the fate of humanity. He also comes bearing the information that her mother is trapped in Diyu, the Chinese underworld, and that only Evie can get her back. No pressure.

But the important thing is that Evie's mom isn't dead. And if she's got this one shot to bring her back and save her family, she's got to take it.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

"The Spindle of Fate took me on a delightful and creepy journey through the courts of hell with many laugh-out-loud moments. Evie is a spunky and relatable heroine who middle-grade readers are sure to love. I didn't want this book to end!"—Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times bestseller of A Magic Steeped in Poison

"With a perfect mix of irreverence and resourcefulness, twelve-year-old Evie Mei braves the delightfully gruesome Chinese underworld as she searches for her mother. Aimee Lim’s inventive debut novel threads Chinese folklore through this tale that is both a bittersweet coming-of-age story and a harrowing quest that had me hooked from the opening line."—Miya T. Beck, Author of The Pearl Hunter and Through a Clouded Mirror

“The Spindle of Fate is a stunningly woven story about family and finding strength in unlikely places. Aimee Lim's prose is sharp, witty, propulsive, and utterly original. A must-read for fans of fantasy and adventure, The Spindle of Fate is a triumph. The stakes couldn't be higher in this magical quest, and readers will delight in the characters met along the way. Seamlessly balancing laugh-out-loud lines with heart-wrenching moments, this is one of the best books I've read in years. I couldn't flip the pages fast enough."—Alex Aster, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lightlark

"Lim’s debut is a fast-paced, nail-biting page-turner featuring a likable narrator leaving her mundane life to take on a fantastical quest. The mix of gore, humor, and sentiment feels as if Pixar made a horror film, and the story is carried by a charismatic duo and their deepening friendship."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

"This debut, which explores grief, a complicated mother-daughter relationship, and family dynamics, also has a lot of heart. An enthralling adventure."—Kirkus

"Fast-paced action and dark humor combine with Chinese mythology to deliver an engrossing fantasy adventure about grief and healing."—Publishers Weekly

"A relatable Evie Mei candidly navigates questions about bereavement: how to be brave for her family, how to find meaning in senseless tragedy, and how to reconcile her love for her mother with their strained relationship. Lim’s debut middle-grade fantasy will appeal to readers who appreciate a grim (and sometimes darkly comical) bureaucratic underworld and ask questions about how we learn to accept unavoidable grief."—Booklist

Kirkus Reviews

2024-03-23
California 12-year-old Evie Mei Huang ventures into the depths of Dìyù, the Chinese netherworld, to save her mother and reunite her family.

It’s been 10 days since Evie’s mother disappeared and was declared dead. The first time she returns to her family’s tailor shop (just downstairs from their apartment), Evie encounters talking monkey Monk, who’s really a yāoguài, or demon. He delivers a mysterious birthday gift containing a scroll with an embroidered message from her mother: “Help me…Find me in Dìyù.” Evie soon discovers a whole world she knew nothing about: Not only was Mom a member of a secret society of magical weavers, but she was also “the master of the Spindle of Fate, which can change a person’s destiny.” Armed with the famed demon-­repelling Staff of Mùlián and a magical spool of red thread to lead the way, Evie embarks on a treacherous, action-packed race to find her mother in the multilevel underground labyrinth that is Dìyù. Detailed and descriptive both in characterization and scene-setting, Lim’s evocative language builds a fun modern fantasy that draws from Chinese mythology. She doesn’t shy away from the macabre, with her tween protagonist swimming through a pool of blood, navigating knife-covered mountains, evading pursuit by desperate dead penitents, and fending off demons of various forms. This debut, which explores grief, a complicated mother-daughter relationship, and family dynamics, also has a lot of heart.

An enthralling adventure. (Fantasy. 9-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191791753
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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