Shang-Chi and the Quest for Immortality

by Victoria Ying (Author) Victoria Ying (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Marvel break-out Shang-Chi sets off to unlock the keys to immortality and save his father in this all-new, original graphic novel adventure!

Twelve-year-old Shang-Chi and and his younger sister, Shi-Hua, are the only children in the grand palace of the Five Weapons Society.

Their father, Zheng-Zu, is a harsh master, and all Shang-Chi wants is to prove himself in his father's eyes.

So when he overhears that his father's powers may be waning and discovers an ancient scroll that might be the key to helping him get those powers back, Shang-Chi knows exactly what to do. For the first time in his life, he sneaks out of the palace and into the outside world, hoping to return with one of the legendary Peaches of Immortality to gift his father.

But the world beyond the palace is very different from everything Shang-Chi has been taught, especially a boy called Lu, who knows more about Zheng-Zu than he should. With his home and father's health on the line, Shang-Chi cannot fail in his quest--but does his father deserve to be saved?

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School Library Journal

Gr 3-7--Yang provides an insightful look into the formative years of the Marvel superhero, Shang-Chi. The titular hero is only 12 when he and his little sister, Shi-Hua, explore the secrets of his father's (the warlord Zheng Zu) palace. With Shiu-Hua's aid, Shang-Chi leaves the palace by night in search of a magical peach he heard about in legend. Shang-Chi hopes to impress his father by presenting him with the peaches, but the world beyond the palace walls is far stranger than he could have imagined. He meets fantastical characters from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, such as Monkey and Guan Yin, along with previously unknown brothers and sisters cast from his father's home, and dangerous villains who want the magic peaches for themselves. Along the way, Shang-Chi learns the value of teamwork and gains self-confidence from within, instead of from his father's approval. The fully Asian cast and scenery of this graphic novel are beautifully drawn with vibrant colors and strong linework. VERDICT A solid addition to the Shang-Chi mythos and a gateway into traditional Chinese mythology.--Tammy Ivins

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

 

Victoria Ying
Victoria Ying is a critically acclaimed author and artist living in Los Angeles. She started her career in the arts by falling in love with comic books; this eventually turned into a career working in animation and graphic novels. She loves Japanese Curry, putting things in her shopping cart online and taking them out again, and hanging out with her husband and furry friends. Her film credits include Tangled, Wreck it Ralph, Frozen, Paperman, Big Hero 6, and Moana. She is the illustrator on DC's Diana Princess of the Amazons and the author and illustrator of City of Secrets. and the sequel City of Illusion. Her latest graphic novel projects include the sequel to Diana and Nubia Princesses of the Amazons and her YA debut Hungry Ghost.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781338833720
Lexile Measure
560
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Graphix
Publication date
October 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV008020 - Juvenile Fiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | Superheroes
Library of Congress categories
Graphic novels
Kung fu
Martial artists
Shang-Chi

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