Praise for Henry Lien's PEASPROUT CHEN, FUTURE LEGEND OF SKATE AND SWORD:
“It’s Hermione Granger meets ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ meets the Ice Capades meets ‘Mean Girls.’” For all its disparate ingredients, though, PEASPROUT CHEN: FUTURE LEGEND OF SKATE AND SWORD speaks in a single, strong voice, thanks to its spirited heroine." —The New York Times
"Massively entertaining...Peasprout Chen is a future legend, indeed." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"For a rewarding and well-constructed plot in an uncommon setting—plus some effective genderqueer subversion at the end—this story can’t be beat." —The Horn Book
"An utter delight from start to finish... I love this book!" —New York Times-bestselling author Jonathan Auxier
"Peasprout Chen is my new favorite heroine of young people's literature." —New York Times-bestselling author Daniel José Older
"Thrilling, beautiful, fierce, and like nothing I've ever read before."—Mike Jung, author of Unidentified Suburban Object
"The fictional wu liu that flourishes there—acrobatic fighting conducted on springy ice skates—stands a good chance of elbowing aside quidditch as the next big novel-inspired sport... luring fans of martial arts, well-built worlds, and romance back for ensuing adventure."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Lien’s exciting debut is a story of acceptance and bravery, friendship and hope. Peasprout dreams of becoming the best in wu liu, a mix of martial arts and figure skating...A riveting and complex read about new beginnings, family, and choices." —Booklist
"Vividly described wu liu sequences capture the exuberance and energy of the imagined sport...An ambitious debut." —Kirkus Reviews
★ 2018-11-26
Facing possible deportation, imminent war, and a nest of "usually benevolent but now vicious coiling water dragons," Chen Peasprout and her friends skate into full gear.
Entering her second year at Pearl Famous Academy of Skate and Sword, Peasprout is still reeling from the discoveries of Book 1—and readers new to the series should start there. Charming classmate Hisashi returns to Pearl with the mysterious Wu Yinmei, allegedly seeking refuge from her great-great-grandmother, the ruthless Shinian Empress Dowager. As the school transforms into a military academy, the three students, along with Peasprout's best friend, Doi, and brainy younger brother, Cricket, join forces (team name: Nobody and the Fire-Chickens) to outwit their classmates and defend Pearl. Lien hits his stride in this second installment, as the series' many narrative threads begin to coalesce. The Asian-inspired fantasy, with its presumably all-Asian (or fantasy equivalent) cast, takes on weighty and relevant questions of gender, ability, leadership, immigration, conservation of natural resources, national identity, and political change with intelligence, deftness, and precision. Romances, including one between two girls, are realistically awkward (but maybe less realistically chaste—though they are still in their early teens) while the friendships, sibling relationships, and rivalries continue to provide the story's emotional core. And Peasprout is its snarky, brilliant, hilarious, and utterly human heart. Readers, who have to wait for the next volume to see what happens next, will echo one of Peasprout's favorite imprecations: "Ten thousand years of stomach gas."
A riveting second act. (Fantasy. 10-14)
