09/24/2025
📚 Mini Summaries
Strike the Zither by Joan He
In this sweeping YA fantasy inspired by Romance of the Three Kingdoms, orphaned Zephyr becomes a brilliant strategist serving a warlordess. Politics, betrayal, and supernatural twists all collide as she navigates warzones, rivalries, and her own identity.
The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell
In Book 2 of Impossible Creatures, Christopher Forrester returns to the Archipelago where mythic creatures dwell. A dark poison threatens the dragons, and political intrigue reaches fever pitch as a princess fights to clear her family’s name and stop her power-hungry uncle.
The Gate, The Girl, and The Dragon by Grace Lin
Based on Chinese folklore, this illustrated chapter book follows Jin (a Stone Lion guardian), a human girl, and a dragon-like worm as they go on a quest. After Jin accidentally kicks the Sacred Sphere out of his realm, the group must recover it to save both the spirit world and the human realm.
Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol
Jane’s life is tied up in expectations—of beauty, marriage, and home—but her world turns upside down when her maybe-fiancé Peter is kidnapped by a mermaid. Jane plunges into an underwater adventure full of danger, mythical creatures, and personal growth, learning that what matters most is character, not looks.
The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Fern has lived her whole life in The Ranch—a secluded, off-grid community led by Dr. Ben. When she and her mother escape, Fern must reckon with everything she’s been taught, what she believed was right, and what it means to choose her own path. It’s a story about trust, truth, and courage.
