Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

This action-packed middle grade fantasy follows 12-year-old Chinese American Zack Ying, who knows little about his heritage until he's thrust into a quest to save the world. After the spirit of the First Emperor of China accidentally binds to Zack's AR gaming headset, Zack must travel across China, heist magical artifacts, and learn to wield ancient water dragon powers. He teams up with other young hosts of historical figures to seal a leaking portal to the Chinese underworld, all while trying to rescue his mother's soul from demons. The book masterfully blends ancient Chinese history and mythology with contemporary themes of identity, belonging, and the challenges of growing up as a minority.

12-year-old Zack never had many opportunities to learn about his Chinese heritage. His single mom was busy enough making sure they got by, and his schools never taught anything except Western history and myths. So Zack is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open. The mission takes an immediate wrong turn when the First Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack’s body and binds to Zack’s AR gaming headset instead, leading to a battle where Zack’s mom’s soul gets taken by demons. Now, with one of history’s most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to heist magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning to wield the emperor’s incredible water dragon powers. And if Zack can’t finish the mission in time, the spirits of the underworld will flood into the mortal realm, and he could lose his mom forever.