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The Magic Paintbrush: The Guardian's Quest
In the second book of this epic fantasy series, eleven year old Amy's malfunctioning paintbrush accidentally paints a portal to a mythical world! But when she discovers that the paintbrush is running out of power, Amy must undergo a Trial to prove her worth as the guardian of the magic paintbrush.
“Gorgeous and gripping, The Magic Paintbrush swoops readers off on rip-roaring fantasy adventure that unfurls like a magnificent scroll…Brimming with imagination and heart…” —Soman Chainani, author of THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL series
Ever since she became the guardian of the magic paintbrush, Amy has been nonstop painting. But when her paintbrush starts glitching, Amy accidentally paints a portal to a strange, magical world filled with creatures of Chinese folktales!
A mysterious cat from the portal leads Amy and her friends Diego and Luna to Minli, who presents herself as the creator of the paintbrush, and her magical forest. The magic paintbrush’s power is dwindling. Amy has two weeks to complete a Trial, a series of three tests to prove she is worthy to be the paintbrush’s guardian.
Amy’s quest will take her to mystical places. She’ll have help from Diego, Luna and the secretive Cat who may be a friend or foe. Amy and her friends must face dangerous threats, perilous landscapes, and the ever-looming feeling that everything might not be what it seems….
Award-winning author Kat Zhang teams up with Eric Darnell, the writer and director of the Madagascar series and the Chief Creative Officer of Baobab Studios on this story about responsibility, the power of friendship, and what it means to be worthy.
“Gorgeous and gripping, The Magic Paintbrush swoops readers off on rip-roaring fantasy adventure that unfurls like a magnificent scroll…Brimming with imagination and heart…” —Soman Chainani, author of THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL series
Ever since she became the guardian of the magic paintbrush, Amy has been nonstop painting. But when her paintbrush starts glitching, Amy accidentally paints a portal to a strange, magical world filled with creatures of Chinese folktales!
A mysterious cat from the portal leads Amy and her friends Diego and Luna to Minli, who presents herself as the creator of the paintbrush, and her magical forest. The magic paintbrush’s power is dwindling. Amy has two weeks to complete a Trial, a series of three tests to prove she is worthy to be the paintbrush’s guardian.
Amy’s quest will take her to mystical places. She’ll have help from Diego, Luna and the secretive Cat who may be a friend or foe. Amy and her friends must face dangerous threats, perilous landscapes, and the ever-looming feeling that everything might not be what it seems….
Award-winning author Kat Zhang teams up with Eric Darnell, the writer and director of the Madagascar series and the Chief Creative Officer of Baobab Studios on this story about responsibility, the power of friendship, and what it means to be worthy.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 29, 2025
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Kat Zhang
25 books947 followers*Please do not message me through Goodreads! Instead, email me at katzhang3 AT gmail DOT com. I don't get on Goodreads often to check messages! Thank you :) *
Kat Zhang spent most of her childhood tramping through a world weaved from her favorite stories and games. When she and her best friend weren't riding magic horses or talking to trees, they were writing adaptations of plays for their stuffed animals (what would The Wizard of Oz have been like if the Cowardly Lion were replaced by a Loquacious Lamb?). This may or may not explain many of Kat's quirks today.
By the age of twelve, Kat had started her first novel and begun plans for her life as a Real Live Author (she was rather more confident at twelve than she is even now). Said plans didn't come into fruition until seven years later, when her agent sold her Young Adult trilogy, The Hybrid Chronicles, to HarperCollins. The series, about a parallel universe where everyone is born with two souls, concluded in 2014.
Her two upcoming Middle Grade novels will be released in 2017 and 2018 with Simon & Schuster. The first, The Emperor's Riddle, is about hidden treasure, lost aunts, and China. The second, The Memory of Forgotten Things, is about parallel universes (again), solar eclipses, and misfit children.
Kat is represented by Emmanuelle Morgen of Stonesong. She also contributes to Pub(lishing) Crawl, a site for aspiring writers to talk about books, storytelling craft, and the publishing process.
Kat Zhang spent most of her childhood tramping through a world weaved from her favorite stories and games. When she and her best friend weren't riding magic horses or talking to trees, they were writing adaptations of plays for their stuffed animals (what would The Wizard of Oz have been like if the Cowardly Lion were replaced by a Loquacious Lamb?). This may or may not explain many of Kat's quirks today.
By the age of twelve, Kat had started her first novel and begun plans for her life as a Real Live Author (she was rather more confident at twelve than she is even now). Said plans didn't come into fruition until seven years later, when her agent sold her Young Adult trilogy, The Hybrid Chronicles, to HarperCollins. The series, about a parallel universe where everyone is born with two souls, concluded in 2014.
Her two upcoming Middle Grade novels will be released in 2017 and 2018 with Simon & Schuster. The first, The Emperor's Riddle, is about hidden treasure, lost aunts, and China. The second, The Memory of Forgotten Things, is about parallel universes (again), solar eclipses, and misfit children.
Kat is represented by Emmanuelle Morgen of Stonesong. She also contributes to Pub(lishing) Crawl, a site for aspiring writers to talk about books, storytelling craft, and the publishing process.
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