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The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon
From award-winning and bestselling author of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Grace Lin comes a gorgeously illustrated story about a lion cub and a girl who must open a portal for the spirits, based on Chinese folklore.
Jin is a Stone Lion—one of the guardians of the Old City Gate who is charged to watch over humans and protect the Sacred Sphere. But to Jin, those boring duties feel like a waste of time.
What isn’t a waste of time? Perfecting his zuqiu kick, scoring a Golden Goal, and becoming the most legendary player of all the spirit world.
But when Jin’s perfect kick accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere out through the gate, he has no choice but to run after it, tumbling out of the realm he calls home and into the human world as the gate closes behind him.
Stuck outside the gate, Jin must find help from unlikely allies, including a girl who can hear a mysterious voice and a worm who claims he is a dragon. Together, they must find the sphere and return it to the world beyond the gate…or risk losing everything.
Award-winning and bestselling author Grace Lin returns with another gorgeously illustrated adventure story about duty, love, and balance—expertly written in the vein of the Newbery Honor winner and modern classic Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.
Jin is a Stone Lion—one of the guardians of the Old City Gate who is charged to watch over humans and protect the Sacred Sphere. But to Jin, those boring duties feel like a waste of time.
What isn’t a waste of time? Perfecting his zuqiu kick, scoring a Golden Goal, and becoming the most legendary player of all the spirit world.
But when Jin’s perfect kick accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere out through the gate, he has no choice but to run after it, tumbling out of the realm he calls home and into the human world as the gate closes behind him.
Stuck outside the gate, Jin must find help from unlikely allies, including a girl who can hear a mysterious voice and a worm who claims he is a dragon. Together, they must find the sphere and return it to the world beyond the gate…or risk losing everything.
Award-winning and bestselling author Grace Lin returns with another gorgeously illustrated adventure story about duty, love, and balance—expertly written in the vein of the Newbery Honor winner and modern classic Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published May 13, 2025
97 people are currently reading
5030 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
May 2, 2025
I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon is a captivating and relaxing book to listen to and delivers a great message to the listener.
Lulu and Jin (a lion cub) are on a quest to find the sacred sphere and then open a doorway/portal for the spirits and enable them to get home themselves too.
I loved the lessons the characters learned within this story and how captivating the Chinese folktales and mythology were woven within it so fluidly and mixing traditional with modern giving homage to the generations before and now.
I would love to get a physical copy of this book as I think it may have illustrations to bring each scene even more to life.
The characters are a great mix, and I feel Jin will be a character most children will find themselves relating to. This was a beautiful story filled with adventure, friendship, trust, independence, and family in its many forms.
***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon is a captivating and relaxing book to listen to and delivers a great message to the listener.
Lulu and Jin (a lion cub) are on a quest to find the sacred sphere and then open a doorway/portal for the spirits and enable them to get home themselves too.
I loved the lessons the characters learned within this story and how captivating the Chinese folktales and mythology were woven within it so fluidly and mixing traditional with modern giving homage to the generations before and now.
I would love to get a physical copy of this book as I think it may have illustrations to bring each scene even more to life.
The characters are a great mix, and I feel Jin will be a character most children will find themselves relating to. This was a beautiful story filled with adventure, friendship, trust, independence, and family in its many forms.
March 28, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free audio-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a cute children's book filled with magical creatures, Chinese lore, and wild adventures. The publishers have already provided a great synopsis of the story, so I won't focus on that. The characters were all great, and there was a great message for children about the importance of patience, duty, love, family, and finding a balance between all of these.
I received the audiobook arc of this story, but I believe that the actual book will come with illustrations, which I'm sure will be gorgeous and add beautiful depictions of the story. It's definitely a great read for a young audience and would be a good classroom read.
This was a cute children's book filled with magical creatures, Chinese lore, and wild adventures. The publishers have already provided a great synopsis of the story, so I won't focus on that. The characters were all great, and there was a great message for children about the importance of patience, duty, love, family, and finding a balance between all of these.
I received the audiobook arc of this story, but I believe that the actual book will come with illustrations, which I'm sure will be gorgeous and add beautiful depictions of the story. It's definitely a great read for a young audience and would be a good classroom read.
January 1, 2025
ARC - Thank you Grace Lin for this advanced copy!
I will always have a special connection to Grace Lin's work since I once performed in a theatrical production of Where The Mountain Meets the Moon when I was a kid. Her beautiful imagery & specificity when it comes to Chinese mythology never ceases to comfort & entertain me while I'm reading.
I am not the target audience when it comes to this book. I don't have kids, nor do I work in education in any capacity (yet!). However, I found myself just as drawn to this story as I did when I read WTMMTM as an eleven year-old, both out of a connection to my heritage as well as a reminder of the intricacies of humanity. What stood out to me the most was the weaving of the modern with the traditional (which Lin executed subtly & successfully) making the story accessible to today's youth while allowing them to interact with older generations of mythology. Lin also does a wonderful job of narrating a child's point of view, which comes as no surprise given her past works, but is incredibly refreshing. I certainly came away from this book thinking about the meaning of family in its many forms, & I believe any child will be able to relate to the main character Jin when it comes to independence, friendship, & trust.
I will always have a special connection to Grace Lin's work since I once performed in a theatrical production of Where The Mountain Meets the Moon when I was a kid. Her beautiful imagery & specificity when it comes to Chinese mythology never ceases to comfort & entertain me while I'm reading.
I am not the target audience when it comes to this book. I don't have kids, nor do I work in education in any capacity (yet!). However, I found myself just as drawn to this story as I did when I read WTMMTM as an eleven year-old, both out of a connection to my heritage as well as a reminder of the intricacies of humanity. What stood out to me the most was the weaving of the modern with the traditional (which Lin executed subtly & successfully) making the story accessible to today's youth while allowing them to interact with older generations of mythology. Lin also does a wonderful job of narrating a child's point of view, which comes as no surprise given her past works, but is incredibly refreshing. I certainly came away from this book thinking about the meaning of family in its many forms, & I believe any child will be able to relate to the main character Jin when it comes to independence, friendship, & trust.
September 12, 2025
Grace Lin’s latest fantasy first introduces us to Jin, a cub to two stone lions who watch over a sacred sphere while living in a world with other stone and statue spirits also called Gongshi. However, one day he kicks the sphere out of the gate to the living world and he is unable to return home while the sphere is mysteriously taken. Jin soon meets Lulu, a lonely little girl who is able to talk to him and both later meet a worm who claims to be a dragon. The three will have an ever changing adventure to find the sphere while Jin’s world will also face changes and we learn more about their backstories.
It’s a very magical, spiritual and emotional fantasy that brings a lot of Chinese folklore through its themes, characters and stories told within the main plot. As we follow our three protagonists, their paths will definitely intertwine as the story goes on and also see it slowly connect to Lulu as her story is full of surprises. By the second half, It unexpectedly turns immensely sobering and bittersweet up to its conclusion.
“Gate, Girl and Dragon” is another incredible novel by Lin as it carries a lot of that touching fantasy feel as “When the Mountain Meets the Moon” and its predecessor “When the Sea Turned to Stone”. So such heart through all these soft paper pages. A (100%/Outstanding)
It’s a very magical, spiritual and emotional fantasy that brings a lot of Chinese folklore through its themes, characters and stories told within the main plot. As we follow our three protagonists, their paths will definitely intertwine as the story goes on and also see it slowly connect to Lulu as her story is full of surprises. By the second half, It unexpectedly turns immensely sobering and bittersweet up to its conclusion.
“Gate, Girl and Dragon” is another incredible novel by Lin as it carries a lot of that touching fantasy feel as “When the Mountain Meets the Moon” and its predecessor “When the Sea Turned to Stone”. So such heart through all these soft paper pages. A (100%/Outstanding)
January 3, 2025
I received an advanced reading copy of Grace Lin’s new book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯. It’s her first novel in eight years and will be published in May of 2025. This book, like her others, incorporates folktales within the modern day story. While this particular advanced edition didn’t have Grace Lin’s beautifully drawn illustrations in color, the final publication will!
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 is a story about a lion cub, Jin, and a girl, Lulu, who must find the Sacred Sphere and open a portal for the spirits and for them to get back home. This will require Jin to stop thinking about himself and have faith in some unexpected allies. Students will appreciate the messages of love, duty, and finding balance. Strong readers will be able to read this book on their own, and some readers will benefit from the background building about how Ms. Lin took snippets from legend and travels to different cities to create a fictitious setting for this adventure story. It would make a good read aloud for 3rd grade plus if the parent or teacher took time to explain some aspects.
This book is available for preorder today! I’m going to get it for my elementary school library.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 is a story about a lion cub, Jin, and a girl, Lulu, who must find the Sacred Sphere and open a portal for the spirits and for them to get back home. This will require Jin to stop thinking about himself and have faith in some unexpected allies. Students will appreciate the messages of love, duty, and finding balance. Strong readers will be able to read this book on their own, and some readers will benefit from the background building about how Ms. Lin took snippets from legend and travels to different cities to create a fictitious setting for this adventure story. It would make a good read aloud for 3rd grade plus if the parent or teacher took time to explain some aspects.
This book is available for preorder today! I’m going to get it for my elementary school library.
January 3, 2025
Grace Lin has a gift for creating authentic characters that one can’t help but root for. I love her picture books, Ling and Ting, and her Pacy books, but her Where the Mountain Meets the Moon trilogy has always been my absolute favorite. And The Gate, the Girl and the Dragon is like those in that she ties traditional Chinese folklore into a new and wonderful adventure.
Even in adult fiction, I like to see growth in the characters, and too few children’s authors pull it off without being preachy. Grace Lin does it though, showing her reader respect and compassion. What a brilliant new story!
Even in adult fiction, I like to see growth in the characters, and too few children’s authors pull it off without being preachy. Grace Lin does it though, showing her reader respect and compassion. What a brilliant new story!
April 30, 2025
Ahah! This one was so wonderful. The worm, who is actually a dragon, won my heart. This is an amazing novel always moving forward with surprisingly lots of action. The end surprised me. It's emotional and beautiful. I love Asian lore, sacrifices, and doing something for the sake of others. It's also a good story of letting go. A brilliant cast of characters.
June 19, 2025
Such a lovely book, while I did not like this one quite as well as Where the Mountain Meets the Moon it is still a beautiful reading experience. I could feel the emotions of the characters and particularly appreciated the different flaws in each character and how that affected their choices and how they grew (or failed to grow).
June 26, 2025
I just always love a good fairy tale
July 3, 2025
This is from an 8-year-old: This is from the same world as the trilogy from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. I recommend reading that trilogy before doing this; otherwise, it won’t make sense.
March 26, 2025
Another beautifully written folk tale with beautiful word ictures and art.
Ms. Lin combines several Tainanese and Chinese folk tales into one artful story using language that artful paints word pictures for the reader.
The ARC contained black and white artwork by Ms. Lin that should be in full color in the published copy.
Ms. Lin combines several Tainanese and Chinese folk tales into one artful story using language that artful paints word pictures for the reader.
The ARC contained black and white artwork by Ms. Lin that should be in full color in the published copy.
June 5, 2025
What a fabulous new book from author, Grace Lin! She has seamlessly melded several ancient Chinese myths and legends, into a modern imaginary setting. She said that this book took her years to write and it is worth the wait. Reading about stone spirits who dwell within statues, but can come out to help us, was so fun! I love the artwork!!!!
May 6, 2025
The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon is another wonderful book from the award-winning author, Grace Lin! I was able to receive an advance copy of the book, and my sons (ages 9 and 12) and I read it together every evening. Are you ready for a book that you don't want to put down? That kids want "just one more chapter" before going to bed? Are you ready for a book that emphasizes the importance of family and caring for others? This book, full of magic, mystery, suspense, and adventure, is sure to delight you as much as it delighted us. I give it my highest recommendation!
July 23, 2025
My daughter and I loved the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon trilogy and were so excited for this new book. But we found it sad and stressful and weird, compared with what we were hoping based on our love of the trilogy.
August 27, 2025
Grace Lin delivers another enchanting tale filled with lush illustrations, heartfelt characters, and a world steeped in Chinese-inspired folklore. This middle-grade fantasy follows Jin, an impulsive stone lion cub who accidentally kicks the Sacred Sphere into the human world. To fix his mistake, he teams up with Lulu a brave, curious girl and a worm who might just be a dragon. Together, they embark on an adventure across realms that is both whimsical and meaningful.
The story shines in its themes: responsibility, empathy, and finding your place when everything feels uncertain. Lin’s trademark illustrations add magic to every page, making this as much a visual delight as it is a narrative one. The humor sprinkled throughout keeps the tone light even as the characters face real danger and tough choices.
The plot, while engaging, feels a little straightforward, readers expecting a jaw-dropping twist may find the ending predictable. A few emotional beats, especially around grief and change, could have gone deeper. That said, it’s a rich, vibrant story and readers who love myth-based adventures with a modern touch.
A gorgeous, heartwarming adventure about duty, friendship, and embracing change—ideal for kids and adults alike who enjoy magical realism with cultural depth.
Thank you Times Reads for sending me a copy in exchange for honest review.
The story shines in its themes: responsibility, empathy, and finding your place when everything feels uncertain. Lin’s trademark illustrations add magic to every page, making this as much a visual delight as it is a narrative one. The humor sprinkled throughout keeps the tone light even as the characters face real danger and tough choices.
The plot, while engaging, feels a little straightforward, readers expecting a jaw-dropping twist may find the ending predictable. A few emotional beats, especially around grief and change, could have gone deeper. That said, it’s a rich, vibrant story and readers who love myth-based adventures with a modern touch.
A gorgeous, heartwarming adventure about duty, friendship, and embracing change—ideal for kids and adults alike who enjoy magical realism with cultural depth.
Thank you Times Reads for sending me a copy in exchange for honest review.
Read
May 13, 2025I find it very hard to review fantasy because it’s just not my thing. Will you and your kids love this story? I’m not really sure. I got about two hours into the audiobook and realized I didn’t know what was going on, so I started over. Even on my second time through, I zoned out frequently.
However, I love Grace Lin—her semi-autobiographical Year of the Dog books are my go-to birthday present for 10 year old girls, and I highly recommend her TEDx Talk. Despite struggling to pay close attention to the plot of this novel, I picked up on her timeless structure and themes and many times felt moved by her beautiful imagery, abundant figurative language, and rich vocabulary (in a single paragraph: imperious, benevolence, and luminous).
If you want go expose your kids to excellent writing, this is a great choice. If you loved Lin’s other fantasies, or A Wrinkle in Time, or even Narnia, I think this could be a hit. Non-fantasy fans will probably want to skip this though.
However, I love Grace Lin—her semi-autobiographical Year of the Dog books are my go-to birthday present for 10 year old girls, and I highly recommend her TEDx Talk. Despite struggling to pay close attention to the plot of this novel, I picked up on her timeless structure and themes and many times felt moved by her beautiful imagery, abundant figurative language, and rich vocabulary (in a single paragraph: imperious, benevolence, and luminous).
If you want go expose your kids to excellent writing, this is a great choice. If you loved Lin’s other fantasies, or A Wrinkle in Time, or even Narnia, I think this could be a hit. Non-fantasy fans will probably want to skip this though.
September 15, 2025
Jin, a stone lion cub spirit, accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere, a magical object, into the human world, trapping himself there and closing the gate to the spirit realm. Guided by a young girl, Lulu, and a helpful worm who claims to be a dragon, Jin goes on a quest to retrieve the Sphere and restore balance. The story explores themes of duty, responsibility, and family with Grace Lin’s signature mix of folktales from the East and West. This one made me think of pygmalion meets the Gonshi spirits. Read the authors note as she explains how she created the book.
April 27, 2025
The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon (Hardcover)
by Grace Lin
Narrated by
Mesmi Chu
,
Grace Lin
Audible edition
A great story showing the nature of gradian spirits of the Chinese culture. The ideas of family, responsibility and understanding of others in a folk lore like tale. The Story shows the nature of making mistakes and taking responsibility. Looking to find solutions that is beneficial to all is the main focus, of the story. It shows children that selfish behaviors cause problems both for families, and society.
The book shows multicultural aspects of Chinese culture. A strong female character. The book also shows social change that benefits all.
by Grace Lin
Narrated by
Mesmi Chu
,
Grace Lin
Audible edition
A great story showing the nature of gradian spirits of the Chinese culture. The ideas of family, responsibility and understanding of others in a folk lore like tale. The Story shows the nature of making mistakes and taking responsibility. Looking to find solutions that is beneficial to all is the main focus, of the story. It shows children that selfish behaviors cause problems both for families, and society.
The book shows multicultural aspects of Chinese culture. A strong female character. The book also shows social change that benefits all.
July 15, 2025
This fantasy weaves Chinese folklore with the modern world. It is a gorgeously illustrated adventure story about duty, love, and balance.
January 14, 2025
A beautifully woven tale about family, love, sacrifice, and finding yourself. Grace Lin does it again with this novel bringing back characters from Chinese mythology, weaving in storytelling, and building a beautiful world with words. My kids age 5 and 8 love the story, though they haven’t finished it yet. I skipped ahead after they fell asleep because I couldn’t wait to see what happens. Beautiful ending that was so moving. Highly recommend!- ARC
July 7, 2025
Inspired by Chinese folklore, this is a gorgeous book about the Gongshi, the stone spirits, who live in an enchanted world but who are also the guardians who protect our world. The Stone Lions are the ones responsible for protecting the Sacred Sphere, a magical ball that gives power and energy to the world of the Gongshi. That world is threatened when the Sacred Sphere is taken. As it happens Jin, a Stone Lion cub, follows the Sacred Sphere to the real world and is stranded there. Although this is an awful experience for Jin, it turns out that he is in a position to help rescue the Sacred Sphere. Fortunately, Jin finds help with a girl, Lulu, and a dragon, Worm. There is so much to love about this book: the illustrations, the stories within the story, the inventive world building, and the wonderful characters, especially the lions and the broken-hearted sculptor. This is a truly magical book with lovely illustrations that will be a delight to read and share.
"You only needed a purpose. Was this his purpose? Caring for people is the purpose bestowed upon us."
"The people and their world -- they were his people and his world, too. They were all connected."
"W-what is a stone spirit? . . . A stone spirit . . . is love."
"You only needed a purpose. Was this his purpose? Caring for people is the purpose bestowed upon us."
"The people and their world -- they were his people and his world, too. They were all connected."
"W-what is a stone spirit? . . . A stone spirit . . . is love."
January 4, 2025
When I was in elementary school, I read all of the Pacy books (after being drawn to them at first sight as I related them to my Chinese heritage instantly) and when WTMMTM was released it instantly became my favorite book (i wish i had goodreads back then to log how many times i reread it), when I was in middle school, we had to write a letter to someone we admired in my language arts class, and I picked Grace Lin and later did a “Favorite Author” report for her too (I don’t think my language arts teacher ever ended up mailing out those letters but). It feels full circle that now at the age of 23 I get to read an advanced copy of her first novel in 8 years, and the magic really never disappears. I found myself piecing little hints of the characters together, remembering other stories from her previous books and falling back in love with her world building and character building, I’m so glad I was able to read this early and will cherish the experience, and I can’t wait to read it again and for the official release!
February 11, 2025
I was selected to receive an early copy of Grace Lin's newest novel, The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon, and I highly recommend it! Not many people know about it yet, but it's being released on May 6th, and the first edition has gorgeous spredges!
This novel is set to become a classic alongside Grace Lin’s beloved Where the Mountain Meets the Moon series, with another spirited child (or cub!) on an exciting high-stakes adventure guided by storytellers and his passions and convictions! This new character is a welcome addition to children’s literature. Grace Lin has crafted many spunky, strong female characters, but the feature character here is a wonderfully relatable impulsive boy cub. These stories are also incredibly important. He struggles with huge emotions and the shame of making a catastrophic mistake. Still, he picks himself up off the street and faces the problem with resilience, eventually rekindling the relationship with his father. This makes him a fantastic role model! In particular, this novel will ignite conversations about change, loss, grief, emotions, responsibility, accountability, love, kindness, citizenship, and deception. Besides that, just imagine a lion cub pouncing on a ball and romping through a city! Isn’t that simply adorable? What about a lion cub, a mysterious girl, and a puny dragon? Are you intrigued yet? Okay, so what about stone cats?
Another new and thrilling thing is that much of this story takes place in a modern city, rather than in an ancient Chinese village. Signature Chinese elements still come through powerfully and artistically with the magic of towering red doors, Chinese New Year lanterns, sky lanterns, intricate embroidery, plum blossoms, lotus pools, the luminous moon, and a noble dragon! Teachers will relish the rich diction and the opportunities to teach about the history of Confucius, the Terracotta Warriors, tomb figurines, bell towers, walled cities with gates, and soccer! In particular, what does that Female Dancer look like in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? As for art, what about diving into sculpting, embroidery, or sewing? What is a seam ripper, anyway? Do some bells really sound like “My shoe .. . my shoe”? Also, which other cultures have weeping willow legends? Which other mythologies have living statues? There are many other educational avenues to explore, like star designs, erosion, environmentalism, city designs, rocks, the moon, comets, and meteors. The list is endless!
Beyond being educational, Grace Lin’s prose is elegant and ever-meaningful, and enthusiasts will rejoice at the opportunity to seek out the numerous clues and threads tying each character and chapter together with Chinese mythology, history, culture, and even her other books! Having said that, do you remember the red threads mentioned in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Starry River of the Sky, and When the Sea Turned to Silver? Are you rusty on the mythology surrounding Nüwa, as introduced in Starry River of the Sky and When the Sea Turned to Silver? What about the four river dragons in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon? I, too, will have to reread Starry River of the Sky to refresh on the Celestial Rooster! It may be time to dive back into those gorgeous modern classics, but AFTER reading this one (especially if you can get ahold of a copy with the gorgeous sprayed edges!!!)
Grace Lin has sprinkled countless hidden treasures for us close readers and book “detectives”! It is a fabulous family or class read, and an excellent way to boost close reading skills as you look for foreshadowing and practice inference. Can you solve some of these mysteries: Can the voice be trusted? Just who is that dragon who keeps getting mentioned anyway?!! Who's the girl in the title? Who is Great-Aunt Mei Hua? What about Lulu’s father?
This is a stand-alone novel, not part of the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon series. Despite this, I couldn’t help but find connections between this story and the others. One of my first thoughts while reading was–Wait! Does this Jin have any connections to Aunt Jin or Xiao Mao in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon?! Then, I paused thinking about the magical statues and those on Green Island in Mulan: Before the Sword, and I connected it to this quotation from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon: “‘Everything’s alive–the ground you’re walking on, the bark of those trees. We were always alive, even before we were lions and were just raw stone. However, carving us did give us a bit more personality.’” Later, I was sure I saw a reference to Fruitless Mountain. I'm curious whether anyone else can find the spot. Finding these connections is absolutely thrilling! For example, the sightless lion-head door knockers bring the eyeless Dragon painting in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon to mind and the Sculptor is a bit similar to the stonecutter in When the Sea Turned to Silver. Then, there are Daji’s sweet words and the stinging, needle bees in Mulan: Before the Sword . . . What about the black sky in Starry River of the Sky? There are even multiple characters with intermittent memories, and I’m certainly eager for my learners to compare Mountain Maitreya with Mr. Shan!
Like all of Grace Lin’s novels, this one is infused with emotion and warmth, and it’s adventurous and fun, especially when you read it alongside her other novels! It’s an absolutely enchanting read with the author’s colourful artwork throughout.
This novel is set to become a classic alongside Grace Lin’s beloved Where the Mountain Meets the Moon series, with another spirited child (or cub!) on an exciting high-stakes adventure guided by storytellers and his passions and convictions! This new character is a welcome addition to children’s literature. Grace Lin has crafted many spunky, strong female characters, but the feature character here is a wonderfully relatable impulsive boy cub. These stories are also incredibly important. He struggles with huge emotions and the shame of making a catastrophic mistake. Still, he picks himself up off the street and faces the problem with resilience, eventually rekindling the relationship with his father. This makes him a fantastic role model! In particular, this novel will ignite conversations about change, loss, grief, emotions, responsibility, accountability, love, kindness, citizenship, and deception. Besides that, just imagine a lion cub pouncing on a ball and romping through a city! Isn’t that simply adorable? What about a lion cub, a mysterious girl, and a puny dragon? Are you intrigued yet? Okay, so what about stone cats?
Another new and thrilling thing is that much of this story takes place in a modern city, rather than in an ancient Chinese village. Signature Chinese elements still come through powerfully and artistically with the magic of towering red doors, Chinese New Year lanterns, sky lanterns, intricate embroidery, plum blossoms, lotus pools, the luminous moon, and a noble dragon! Teachers will relish the rich diction and the opportunities to teach about the history of Confucius, the Terracotta Warriors, tomb figurines, bell towers, walled cities with gates, and soccer! In particular, what does that Female Dancer look like in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? As for art, what about diving into sculpting, embroidery, or sewing? What is a seam ripper, anyway? Do some bells really sound like “My shoe .. . my shoe”? Also, which other cultures have weeping willow legends? Which other mythologies have living statues? There are many other educational avenues to explore, like star designs, erosion, environmentalism, city designs, rocks, the moon, comets, and meteors. The list is endless!
Beyond being educational, Grace Lin’s prose is elegant and ever-meaningful, and enthusiasts will rejoice at the opportunity to seek out the numerous clues and threads tying each character and chapter together with Chinese mythology, history, culture, and even her other books! Having said that, do you remember the red threads mentioned in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Starry River of the Sky, and When the Sea Turned to Silver? Are you rusty on the mythology surrounding Nüwa, as introduced in Starry River of the Sky and When the Sea Turned to Silver? What about the four river dragons in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon? I, too, will have to reread Starry River of the Sky to refresh on the Celestial Rooster! It may be time to dive back into those gorgeous modern classics, but AFTER reading this one (especially if you can get ahold of a copy with the gorgeous sprayed edges!!!)
Grace Lin has sprinkled countless hidden treasures for us close readers and book “detectives”! It is a fabulous family or class read, and an excellent way to boost close reading skills as you look for foreshadowing and practice inference. Can you solve some of these mysteries: Can the voice be trusted? Just who is that dragon who keeps getting mentioned anyway?!! Who's the girl in the title? Who is Great-Aunt Mei Hua? What about Lulu’s father?
This is a stand-alone novel, not part of the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon series. Despite this, I couldn’t help but find connections between this story and the others. One of my first thoughts while reading was–Wait! Does this Jin have any connections to Aunt Jin or Xiao Mao in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon?! Then, I paused thinking about the magical statues and those on Green Island in Mulan: Before the Sword, and I connected it to this quotation from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon: “‘Everything’s alive–the ground you’re walking on, the bark of those trees. We were always alive, even before we were lions and were just raw stone. However, carving us did give us a bit more personality.’” Later, I was sure I saw a reference to Fruitless Mountain. I'm curious whether anyone else can find the spot. Finding these connections is absolutely thrilling! For example, the sightless lion-head door knockers bring the eyeless Dragon painting in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon to mind and the Sculptor is a bit similar to the stonecutter in When the Sea Turned to Silver. Then, there are Daji’s sweet words and the stinging, needle bees in Mulan: Before the Sword . . . What about the black sky in Starry River of the Sky? There are even multiple characters with intermittent memories, and I’m certainly eager for my learners to compare Mountain Maitreya with Mr. Shan!
Like all of Grace Lin’s novels, this one is infused with emotion and warmth, and it’s adventurous and fun, especially when you read it alongside her other novels! It’s an absolutely enchanting read with the author’s colourful artwork throughout.
October 30, 2025
I love Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately this one lacks the charm and adventure. The first 60% of the book was so slow that I almost gave up. There was just too much explaining where everyone came from and nothing else happening. Then things picked up, but just a little bit. I don’t think my children would enjoy this one at all.
March 4, 2025
I give this book three E’s!! Enchanting, Enthralling & Exciting!! I couldn’t put it down. What a magical adventure. With Studio Ghibli qualities GKids should look to bring The Gate, The Girl, and the Dragon to the big screen!!
September 5, 2025
The main character is a young lion cub, Jin, who is only interested in a soccer-like game "zuqiu" (足球 or zúqiú, pronounced zu-chouw) that he plays with other spirits of different shapes and sizes - some human, some animal, in an idyllic paradise, where they all stay when they are not busy with their life's work: overseeing, safeguarding, protecting, and encouraging human beings, which they do as stone sculptures in the real world. Jin is not interested in taking on that duty, and wishes his great lion father and lioness mother would stop pestering him to focus more on his responsibilities.
Jin's impetuous actions seem to lead to a sequence of events that brings great destruction - BUT in between each chapter focusing on the spirit world, readers hear about the actions of a desperate man in the human world, and it becomes evident pretty quickly that he is the source of the trouble, not Jin.
The author strategically leaves out details that would explain more of what is going on, so that the reader, like Jin, feels a rising sense of panic that the consequences will be severe. His growing shame almost explains why he fails repeatedly to share information that would actually solve problems faster instead of exacerbating them...except only a very young child would believe this. That makes Jin seem VERY young at first, and barely worthy of focus...until he (predictably) grows into the character that rights the wrongs.
Lin does a great job of making that transformation (painfully slow for an adult reader) make sense to most readers - he is shown kindness and patience, he gets support for correcting his mistakes and bad decision-making, he finds allies, and he admits when he trusted the wrong person/creature.
And it's delightful that the final act of courage and heroism of course involves his skill with the zuqiu ball.
I think the BEST readers for this would be kids around age 7 to 9 who play soccer and maybe have too much energy to sit still. Besides the general plot and the character development, it also helps that the chapters are brief and jump from one world to another, and that they are interspersed with legends. The occasional b&w and color illustrations show context.
Other notes:
The author suggests in an endnote that the setting for this story is a fictitious amalgamation of various actual sites of significance to Chinese people and their mythology. While I don't think this will be disconcerting to young readers, it was to me I wanted to know where it was! In the story, everyone speaks English, including both the human characters and the stone spirits, as well as an old/ancient Chinese bell that whispers "my shoe" after it rings. This is a very uniquely Chinese-English setting not China or other Asian location, so I assumed it's in a North American or other English-speaking country. It felt like San Francisco to me, but maybe that's because of my own life experience.
Meanwhile, the spirit world is connected to the human world through a portal - the Chinese gate, which has a very distinct appearance because it was part of a campaign by the Chinese government to build them all over the world. Having an entire Chinese spirit world connect only to one city in the world seemed so implausible, I decided that perhaps each actual Chinese gate might lead to a different, unique Chinese spirit world that is linked to that specific place. Imagining dozens of mini idyllic paradises with Lion-rulers and a whole cast of spirit characters allowed me to continue on with the story. (Note to future authors; if you have an omniscient narrator, why not explain things like this? Readers are going to wonder and feel out of sorts for not knowing more about it.)
Jin's impetuous actions seem to lead to a sequence of events that brings great destruction - BUT in between each chapter focusing on the spirit world, readers hear about the actions of a desperate man in the human world, and it becomes evident pretty quickly that he is the source of the trouble, not Jin.
The author strategically leaves out details that would explain more of what is going on, so that the reader, like Jin, feels a rising sense of panic that the consequences will be severe. His growing shame almost explains why he fails repeatedly to share information that would actually solve problems faster instead of exacerbating them...except only a very young child would believe this. That makes Jin seem VERY young at first, and barely worthy of focus...until he (predictably) grows into the character that rights the wrongs.
Lin does a great job of making that transformation (painfully slow for an adult reader) make sense to most readers - he is shown kindness and patience, he gets support for correcting his mistakes and bad decision-making, he finds allies, and he admits when he trusted the wrong person/creature.
And it's delightful that the final act of courage and heroism of course involves his skill with the zuqiu ball.
I think the BEST readers for this would be kids around age 7 to 9 who play soccer and maybe have too much energy to sit still. Besides the general plot and the character development, it also helps that the chapters are brief and jump from one world to another, and that they are interspersed with legends. The occasional b&w and color illustrations show context.
Other notes:
The author suggests in an endnote that the setting for this story is a fictitious amalgamation of various actual sites of significance to Chinese people and their mythology. While I don't think this will be disconcerting to young readers, it was to me I wanted to know where it was! In the story, everyone speaks English, including both the human characters and the stone spirits, as well as an old/ancient Chinese bell that whispers "my shoe" after it rings. This is a very uniquely Chinese-English setting not China or other Asian location, so I assumed it's in a North American or other English-speaking country. It felt like San Francisco to me, but maybe that's because of my own life experience.
Meanwhile, the spirit world is connected to the human world through a portal - the Chinese gate, which has a very distinct appearance because it was part of a campaign by the Chinese government to build them all over the world. Having an entire Chinese spirit world connect only to one city in the world seemed so implausible, I decided that perhaps each actual Chinese gate might lead to a different, unique Chinese spirit world that is linked to that specific place. Imagining dozens of mini idyllic paradises with Lion-rulers and a whole cast of spirit characters allowed me to continue on with the story. (Note to future authors; if you have an omniscient narrator, why not explain things like this? Readers are going to wonder and feel out of sorts for not knowing more about it.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2025
What an absolute JOY the audiobook was. I LOVE Grace Lin's storytelling and writing. The character evolution is always so heartwarming and satisfying in her stories. The mix of folktales that are woven together to craft a rich and unique story, are artfully done - her books are infused with heart, warmth, culture, and meaningful values. The narration was perfect, the character voices were done extremely well and were full of nuance and personality. Sometimes the narration felt like you're being let in on a secret. The tone was soft and engaging at times, and then more bold at other moments - I felt it captured the range and spirit of storytelling for this novel perfectly. I enjoyed listening to the whole audiobook.
This story centred around Gongshi - the stone guardian spirits who watch over the human world. We find Jin, a lion cub, stuck in the human world and tasked with finding a way to keep the bridge between the two worlds alive. He is young, and grapples with taking on responsibility in the way that his father would expect of him. It is a journey of self-realization, discovering your purpose, moving forward with courage, learning the value of duty and sacrifice, of true friendship, being greatful and learning to be compasionate to others.
There are so many characters introduced through the story - Lulu, the sculptor, the worm, the dragons, the Gongshi spirits/guardians, the family in the human world, the bell , the goddess - it is amazing how each character plays their role and we have something meaningful to learn from each of their stories.
Something integral I find in Eastern/Asian inspired fantasies is the focus on family, community and nature. Being from Bharat (India), I appreciate these common culural values and themes being presented so beautifully in this story.
This book even touched upon themes of loss, grief, pride, acceptance of who you are, loyalty, courage - among many other things. Grace Lin's books are a masterclass in meaningful storytelling. I loved her author's note in the end, speaking about all the seeds of inspiration that came together to form this complete book, and the care with which she appraoched it. I liked what she said about how you can't make a plant grow faster by pulling it up from the soil. To craft something to the best it can be, can take time and patience.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio-arc of this story. I received it for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving my honest thoughts and opinions in this review.
This story centred around Gongshi - the stone guardian spirits who watch over the human world. We find Jin, a lion cub, stuck in the human world and tasked with finding a way to keep the bridge between the two worlds alive. He is young, and grapples with taking on responsibility in the way that his father would expect of him. It is a journey of self-realization, discovering your purpose, moving forward with courage, learning the value of duty and sacrifice, of true friendship, being greatful and learning to be compasionate to others.
There are so many characters introduced through the story - Lulu, the sculptor, the worm, the dragons, the Gongshi spirits/guardians, the family in the human world, the bell , the goddess - it is amazing how each character plays their role and we have something meaningful to learn from each of their stories.
Something integral I find in Eastern/Asian inspired fantasies is the focus on family, community and nature. Being from Bharat (India), I appreciate these common culural values and themes being presented so beautifully in this story.
This book even touched upon themes of loss, grief, pride, acceptance of who you are, loyalty, courage - among many other things. Grace Lin's books are a masterclass in meaningful storytelling. I loved her author's note in the end, speaking about all the seeds of inspiration that came together to form this complete book, and the care with which she appraoched it. I liked what she said about how you can't make a plant grow faster by pulling it up from the soil. To craft something to the best it can be, can take time and patience.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio-arc of this story. I received it for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving my honest thoughts and opinions in this review.
June 4, 2025
Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Girl, The Gate, and The Dragon
Author: Grace Lin
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Diversity: Chinese folklore based with Chinese MC and characters
Recommended For...: Middle Grade readers, Fantasy, Chinese Folklore, Dragons
Publication Date: May 13, 2025
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Age Relevance: 8+ (getting lost, pregnancy, scary scenes, death, grief)
Explanation of CWs: There is a pregnant character with some slightly scary pregnancy issues mentioned in the book. There are some scary scenes and the main character gets lost at the beginning of the book as a part of the main plotline. There is a scene with death and grief shown.
If This Was a Taylor Swift Song: Robin
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 352
Synopsis: Jin is a Stone Lion—one of the guardians of the Old City Gate who is charged to watch over humans and protect the Sacred Sphere. But to Jin, those boring duties feel like a waste of time. What isn’t a waste of time? Perfecting his zuqiu kick, scoring a Golden Goal, and becoming the most legendary player of all the spirit world. But when Jin’s perfect kick accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere out through the gate, he has no choice but to run after it, tumbling out of the realm he calls home and into the human world as the gate closes behind him. Stuck outside the gate, Jin must find help from unlikely allies, including a girl who can hear a mysterious voice and a worm who claims he is a dragon. Together, they must find the sphere and return it to the world beyond the gate…or risk losing everything.
Review: Overall, I really liked this one. I liked that this book is based on Chinese (???) mythology and we follow a little lion statue named Jin throughout most of the book. However, we have a few different point of views along with a back and forth timeline in the narrative. The storytelling is very unique and builds upon itself constantly. The book is very fun, but serious, making it a great bedtime tale.
The only issue I had was that it was a bit weird in the pacing, but other than that I was hooked from the first page.
Verdict: This was a good one, especially for newer middle grade readers!
Book: The Girl, The Gate, and The Dragon
Author: Grace Lin
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Diversity: Chinese folklore based with Chinese MC and characters
Recommended For...: Middle Grade readers, Fantasy, Chinese Folklore, Dragons
Publication Date: May 13, 2025
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Age Relevance: 8+ (getting lost, pregnancy, scary scenes, death, grief)
Explanation of CWs: There is a pregnant character with some slightly scary pregnancy issues mentioned in the book. There are some scary scenes and the main character gets lost at the beginning of the book as a part of the main plotline. There is a scene with death and grief shown.
If This Was a Taylor Swift Song: Robin
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 352
Synopsis: Jin is a Stone Lion—one of the guardians of the Old City Gate who is charged to watch over humans and protect the Sacred Sphere. But to Jin, those boring duties feel like a waste of time. What isn’t a waste of time? Perfecting his zuqiu kick, scoring a Golden Goal, and becoming the most legendary player of all the spirit world. But when Jin’s perfect kick accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere out through the gate, he has no choice but to run after it, tumbling out of the realm he calls home and into the human world as the gate closes behind him. Stuck outside the gate, Jin must find help from unlikely allies, including a girl who can hear a mysterious voice and a worm who claims he is a dragon. Together, they must find the sphere and return it to the world beyond the gate…or risk losing everything.
Review: Overall, I really liked this one. I liked that this book is based on Chinese (???) mythology and we follow a little lion statue named Jin throughout most of the book. However, we have a few different point of views along with a back and forth timeline in the narrative. The storytelling is very unique and builds upon itself constantly. The book is very fun, but serious, making it a great bedtime tale.
The only issue I had was that it was a bit weird in the pacing, but other than that I was hooked from the first page.
Verdict: This was a good one, especially for newer middle grade readers!
May 9, 2025
Imaginative merging of modern-day adventure and Chinese folktales for a warm and wonderful children’s story.
In The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon, author Grace Lin uses a fascinating combination of Chinese folktales to create a fresh and exciting children’s adventure story featuring a young stone lion cub named Jin, Lulu, a little lost girl, and an ancient dragon trapped in the body of a worm. Jin must overcome his fear of getting in trouble and his guilt of being in the wrong to save his stone spirit family and the Gonshi community when he causes the Sacred Sphere his father safeguards to roll out of their world and into that of the humans.
The main character, Jin, is much like his human counterparts of the same age: interested in his own pursuits, pleasures, and interests, many times inconveniencing his parents and others due to being thoughtless or irresponsible. He’s disinterested and dismissive of his father’s stories of the past, responsibilities, or parental instructions until he finds himself accidentally shut out of his world and stuck in the human one, where he finds he longs to return to his family once again. When he discovers the damage the loss of the Sacred Sphere puts in motion, he must gather his courage and sacrifice his own desires to make things right again. His gradual growth and understanding of his choices are a poignant tale, one that even young children will recognize and consider.Jin is assisted in his journey by Lulu, a young girl trying to reunite with her mother, who is also undergoing her own revelations. Worm, the dragon trapped in this tiny, unassuming form, is probably the most fanciful of all the creatures in the book and has some of the best lines as he reveals his story and joins with the young ones to reset the balance in the world before it is too late.
With its magical setting, mythical creatures, and suspenseful plot, I recommend THE GATE, THE GIRL, AND THE DRAGON to upper-elementary and middle-grade readers and for reading aloud to include younger listeners.I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.
June 3, 2025
This book is like watching a Pixar movie, in the way that it's marketed to kids but as an adult you might catch yourself crying (at least that's what happened with me).
The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon is about Jin, the cub lion statue who is cut off from the spirit realm who teams up with a young girl and a worm. It's not hard to figure out that the young girl is a stone spirit, as she is the only person besides the worm (who is actually a dragon), that can see Jin as who he really is in the human world. However, the clock is ticking as Jin needs to find the Sacred Sphere in this human realm so that he can return to his parents back in the Spirit Realm. Little does Jin know, as the Sacred Sphere is no longer in the Spirit Realm, his family and friends are coming to a new and unknown season. All Jin does know, is he is on a deadline to find the sphere and be reunited with them, or be stuck forever amongst the humans.
Grace Lin, what have you done? I was completely emotionally wrecked by this story. Jin's relationship with his parents, finding his way and earning their acceptance. Jin's parents doing their utmost to be reunited with Jin and learning to be the parents Jin wants and needs, the young girl and her family's story (HEARTBREAKING), and the sage wisdom that comes from the former dragon about patience and hard work. Oh, let's not even touch upon talking about learning to deal with having to face possible endings and learning to deal with those situations? This book definitely talks about some heavy things for a children's book! Or maybe I'm just reading too deep into it.
Overall, this was a beautifully written story, taking a twist on some Chinese mythology, mixed with an adventurous tale. I highly recommend reading for all ages (ages that it's recommended and up as there are some themes/topics that might be difficult to explain and grasp).
Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.
The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon is about Jin, the cub lion statue who is cut off from the spirit realm who teams up with a young girl and a worm. It's not hard to figure out that the young girl is a stone spirit, as she is the only person besides the worm (who is actually a dragon), that can see Jin as who he really is in the human world. However, the clock is ticking as Jin needs to find the Sacred Sphere in this human realm so that he can return to his parents back in the Spirit Realm. Little does Jin know, as the Sacred Sphere is no longer in the Spirit Realm, his family and friends are coming to a new and unknown season. All Jin does know, is he is on a deadline to find the sphere and be reunited with them, or be stuck forever amongst the humans.
Grace Lin, what have you done? I was completely emotionally wrecked by this story. Jin's relationship with his parents, finding his way and earning their acceptance. Jin's parents doing their utmost to be reunited with Jin and learning to be the parents Jin wants and needs, the young girl and her family's story (HEARTBREAKING), and the sage wisdom that comes from the former dragon about patience and hard work. Oh, let's not even touch upon talking about learning to deal with having to face possible endings and learning to deal with those situations? This book definitely talks about some heavy things for a children's book! Or maybe I'm just reading too deep into it.
Overall, this was a beautifully written story, taking a twist on some Chinese mythology, mixed with an adventurous tale. I highly recommend reading for all ages (ages that it's recommended and up as there are some themes/topics that might be difficult to explain and grasp).
Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.
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