Rick Riordan Presents: Dragon Pearl-A Thousand Worlds Novel Book 1
But you'd never know it by looking at her. To keep the family safe, Min's mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times.
Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She's counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.
When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.
Min's quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.
This sci-fi adventure with the underpinnings of Korean mythology will transport you to a world far beyond your imagination.
Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, soon to be a series on Disney+.
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Community Reviews
As Min started to sneeze as she realized her mother is using fox magic to appease the investigator, Min turns herself into a table so that she could listen in. She is so upset with the man, she shakes with anger and mother spilled scalding tea onto the table. Min returns to her human shape and the investigator realizes they are of the Fox Spirit. Naturally what any 12 years old would do is smack him with a pan and knock him out. Her mother and aunties know they must send Min away and so she decides to run away and find Jun herself since nobody else seems to have his back.
The first stop is Hangock using a fake ID to get try and hitch a ride to the Space Force and do some investigating. She encounters some nefarious guards who want her jade and to be fed at the market. She outwits them only to realize she left her personal bag that bears her real name and real jade inside her bag. She runs to meet up with a Captain named Hye who will hopefully take her aboard her freighter, The Red Azalea but to find that captain, she must go to the gambling parlor, called Nariâs Casino. Turns out Nari is her black-sheep aunt who Minâs mother used to run this casino with but gave it all up to marry Minâs father. The road to adventure is just about to begin.
Much shape-shifting, taking on someone elseâs body, inhibiting the body of a dead ghost, all while trying to get aboard the Space Force, act like she knows what sheâs doing and finds her brother, solve the mystery of the missing Dragon Pearl and oh, deal with the White Tiger Captain by the name of Hwan.
Fast-paced and very entertaining and full of heart. Highly recommended for middle school-aged kids. Itâs written to be a stand-alone novel but because of the success, Yoon Ha Lee has decided to write a follow-up sequel.
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