The Vale

by Abigail Hing Wen, Yuna Cheong (Illustrator)

The inspiration behind the hit Roblox game!

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

ABA Regional Bestseller


"Ambitious . . . themes of family, friendship, and personal integrity shine."
—Kirkus Reviews

"A highly engaging journey of connection and transformation and an innovative read for this present age.
—Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor author of One Crazy Summer

Welcome to The Vale, a world that grows by the power of imagination

A magical new phenomenon from the New York Times bestselling author and executive producer of the Loveboat, Taipei series (adapted to the Netflix film Love in Taipei).

Thirteen-year-old Bran Joseph Lee has spent half his life building the Vale, an immersive, AI-generated, virtual-reality environment using technology created by his inventor parents. It's a lush fantasy world complete with a Blue Forest, a Castle, and adventures with his mushroom-obsessed Elf named Gnomly—a much better place to spend his days compared to his real life, where his parents have suffered through the failed launches of one invention after another. 

Bran wants nothing more than to see his Elves come fully to life, a hope that seems on the brink of reality when he enters the Vale in a multi-million-dollar competition to fund its further development. But instead, things in the Vale begin to go The sunlight is fading. A beautiful girl appears from nowhere. A wizard is stealing from the Vale’s inhabitants. And the strangest part of all is that none of this is the young inventor’s doing.

Can Bran and Gnomly uncover the truth of what is happening before both their worlds are destroyed?

Look out for The Vale—Origins, the short film prequel to The Vale starring three-time Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, coming to film festivals and screenings near you!

"Exposes both the wonder of AI and its pitfalls, and the elastic boundary between. Storytelling at its best!"
—Kathi Appelt, National Book Award Finalist and Newbery Honor author of The Underneath

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy

313 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2025

About the author

Abigail Hing Wen is the New York Times bestselling author and executive producer of Loveboat, Taipei, now a film "LOVE IN TAIPEI" on Netflix. The companion novels, Loveboat Reunion follows Xavier and Sophie, and Loveboat Forever brings the whole gang back together six years later.

Her sophomore universe, Kisses, Codes and Conspiracies was an instant National Bestseller, Indy Best Seller, USA Today Bestseller, SoCal Regional Best Seller, Mountains and Plains Indy Regional Bestseller and an Amazon Editor's Pick for Best YA Book of the Month.

Abigail holds a BA from Harvard, a JD from Columbia Law School, and an MFA from the Vermont School of Fine Arts, and, like some of her characters, is obsessed with musicals and dancing. When she’s not writing stories or listening to her favorite scores, she is busy working in artificial intelligence in Silicon Valley, where she lives with her family. You can learn more about her at www.abigailhingwen.com. Follow on Instagram/Twitter/TikTok @abigailhingwen

Reviews

[Frida]

*** Incomplete audiobook spoils the fun

[Tonja Drecker]

Adventure swings between the real world and a virtual one, where very different dangers threaten to ruin The Vale.

Bran is thirteen and spends much of his time working on The Vale, an AI-virtua- 4D program, which allows users to create an entire realm, interact with it, and feel it. His inventing parents have developed many things over the years but have never seemed to develop anything fast enough to make any money. In other words, they are dead broke. When a contest promises a win of $5000 and a couple months of food and rent, the family's emotions soar...until they don't win and end up living in a shed with barely anything to eat. Bran isn't about to give up and works for a bigger, better prize, but while getting The Vale in tiptop condition, he doesn't realize that something in the world is realm. Little by little, The Vale is changing and he has no idea why.

The book slides between Bran's point of view as he deals with real life and pops in and out of the virtual realm, and the elf, Gnomly's, existence in the Vale. This flows nicely, allowing the problems on each side to hook in. Both carry personalities and both are dealing with major issues. By flipping back and forth between the two, it also becomes clear why there are misunderstandings between the odd friends...and how 'real' this entire program might almost be. It's an interesting meeting of worlds, and even a more interesting adventure as both deal with their difficulties as best they can. The read picks up pace as it goes along and wraps things up in a satisfying way.

While the two different, yet intertwined adventures keep the pages turning, there are several themes as 'food for thought' as well. Bran's family faces financial issues, and this causes strains not only in the living conditions but also in their relationships. The struggle is well done and comes across naturally. Bran also needs to step outside of his comfort zone on the social end of things if he wants to succeed, and it's easy to understand his hesitation and uneasiness. Then, there's the entire topic surrounding AI. While this read doesn't dive super deep into thought loops on that end, it does start opening the door to discussions and considerations.

This tale keeps an intriguing balance between fantasy and reality. The text flows smoothly and works especially well for the lower and middle age range of the intended audience, despite the longer length. The characters come across a little on the young side and there's a sense of playfulness along with the fantasy. The story starts out a bit slow but picks up pace. Especially the ending holds tension, and it's not clear what the outcome will be. There are a few illustrations sprinkled inside, which are nicely detailed and give the read a lovely touch. Fans of books surrounding AI, video games, and even a little fantasy will want to take a peek at this one.

[Julie]

One of my new, favorite books! Abigail Hing Wen writes Gnomly’s delightful Book of Elf embedded with a bigger story of his creators, the Lee family. Bran, is a 7th grade Wasian whose techie parents invent the Vale, an AI experience that Bran has been adding to since he was six. The elf Gnomly has become Bran’s best friend/younger brother, and they spend hours together in the Vale. The Lee family takes The Vale to the Invention Convention, hoping to take home the grand prize money in order to save them from eviction from their home. The Vale glitches, for the first time, while the judges are at the Lee’s exhibition booth, with Bran in The Vale - unable to find Gnomly.
The story is written so well, explaining the dangers of AI and gaming-addiction. Gnomly’s Book of Elf is so clever, explaining what ‘s happening in The Vale in real-time as Bran’s life unfolds. The illustrations are magical, especially the ones in color, and the Book of Elf is printed on pages that appear to be an Elf’s journal pages! I was cheering Bran on as he made a real friend and helped a competitor with a small technical detail.

The Book of Elf Genesis
In the Beginning, there was Blue. Then a forest, Pierced by Light. A Clover Field, A Falls, And Iron, And sundry Creatures of the Wood. Last most splendid of all, There were Elves.

- The Vale is full of imagination but powered by AI. How does the story illustrate both the creative potential of AI and its limits? Do you believe AI can replicate human creativity?
- “Ethical people make ethical technology,” says Piper’s Dad. How is this idea explored in the story? Why might it matter who builds the technology we use? (p293)

[The Page Ladies Book Club]

The Vale by Abigail Hing Wen follows thirteen year old Bran Joseph Lee, a genius coder, and the mastermind behind The Vale an epic, virtual fantasy world full of glowing forests, castles, and his mushroom-obsessed elf bestie, Gnomly, who’s somehow both hilarious and done with everything!

Real life? Meh. Bran’s inventor parents are constantly dealing with flopped ideas, and he’d much rather be in his custom-coded paradise than stuck in reality.

But just as he enters The Vale into a huge competition that could finally make all his dreams come true.. the game starts acting weird. The sun disappears! A mysterious girl shows up! A wizard starts causing mayhem! And the biggest twist? Bran didn’t code any of it! Yikes!!

Now it’s a race against time to figure out what’s messing with his world and whether he can fix it before both the virtual and real worlds spiral out of control.

Abigail Hing Wen blends magic, tech, and heart in this fast-paced, funny, and surprisingly emotional adventure! Bran is clever and lovable, Gnomly steals every scene he’s in, and the mystery will keep you guessing. It’s like Ready Player One meets Stranger Things, but with more mushrooms and way fewer demogorgons!

⚡️Thank you Books Forward PR and Abigail Hing Wen for sharing this book with me!

[LS Johnson]

delightful! the art inside was lovely, but sometimes didn't match the mental images i created, but that's ok. the characters were really well developed and i felt like i knew each one, even the minor characters. the plot developed slowly and kept me interested. i enjoyed the STEM aspect, which melded well with the emotional components of the story. i think this book will appeal to the imagination of many readers. the story felt complete, but i would love another book about Bran, Piper and Jared, even if Gnomly and The Vale cannot be included.

[Kyla Zhao]

I flew through The Vale in one sitting—I just couldn’t put it down. I really fell in love with the world and the characters, and the message feels so powerful right now given the rise of AI. Everything was packaged in a way that would be easily understandable and fun to read for younger audiences. I was so immersed in the world that when I finished, I had this moment of mild disorientation—wait, what do you mean The Vale isn’t real?!

[Jonathan]

I liked the two parallel stories (physical/virtual worlds) which kept the pages turning. The setting is interesting and no longer quite unbelievable, with the rise of generative AI. The illustrations dotted throughout helped bring the world alive.

[Bethany]

Previewed to see if it would be a good fit for the students at my 6th-12th school, and it’s better suited for 4th-5h graders.

DNF’d after chapter 5.

[Jane Woo]

I read it overnight! Brilliant and thoughtful, covering AI, families, friendship and first love -- it's a story that captures our time. The next great American novel.

[Paul Renaker]

A little slow at times, but interesting take on AI and it's future.

[Audrey Lynn]

Cool premise, I liked the twists and turns..I wished there was a better editor it could have been better.

[Nuri Park]

This was such a fun read! Loved the world building and fantasy elements.

[Farkhunda]

amazing book

[Wahida Sadaqat]

Adventure swings between the real world and a virtual one which is my fav