The Phoenix Pencil Company

A Novel

De: Allison King

Narrado por: Carolyn Kang, Jodi Long, Sura Siu, Crystal Yu

A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK

In this dazzling debut novel, a hidden and nearly forgotten magic—of Reforging pencils, bringing the memories they contain back to life—holds the power to transform a young woman’s relationship with her grandmother, and to mend long-lost connections across time and space.

Monica Tsai spends most days on her computer, journaling the details of her ordinary life and coding for a program that seeks to connect strangers online. A self-proclaimed recluse, she's always struggled to make friends and, as a college freshman, finds herself escaping into a digital world, counting the days until she can return home to her beloved grandparents. They are now in their nineties, and Monica worries about them constantly—especially her grandmother, Yun, who survived two wars in China before coming to the States, and whose memory has begun to fade.

Though Yun rarely speaks of her past, Monica is determined to find the long-lost cousin she was separated from years ago. One day, the very program Monica is helping to build connects her to a young woman, whose gift of a single pencil holds a surprising clue. Monica’s discovery of a hidden family history is exquisitely braided with Yun’s own memories as she writes of her years in Shanghai, working at the Phoenix Pencil Company. As WWII rages outside their door, Yun and her cousin, Meng, learn of a special power the women in their family possess: the ability to Reforge a pencil’s words. But when the government uncovers their secret, they are forced into a life of espionage, betraying other people’s stories to survive.

Combining the cross-generational family saga and epistolary form of A Tale for the Time Being with the uplifting, emotional magic of The Midnight Library, Allison King’s stunning debut novel asks: who owns and inherits our stories? The answers and secrets that surface on the audio may have the unerasable power to reconnect a family and restore a legacy.

©2025 Allison King (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Stick with it.

This book started slow for me. I even considered returning it. I am glad I stuck with it. It is beautifully written, and the narration is fantastic. it is definitely different but I am glad i stuck with it.

Lovely

I learned a lot about China. The story was amazing . I felt good reading and listening to it.

A Very Long Novel

While the history was very interesting, the “magical not-very-real realism” is a silly and meaningless device. It added an element of frivolousness to what could have been a deeper story. Somehow I managed to listen to the end. I guess I was waiting for some explanation about where the mother had gone off to,

Overhyped for no reason

This book is a prime example of why I’ve become wary of Instagram book club recommendations. From the start, the plot felt flat and strangely paced, never quite delivering on the promise of intrigue or depth.

One detail that truly tested my patience? The senior bus pass.Mentioning it once could’ve been a charming touch, but the author brought it up repeatedly, as if it added something vital to the story. Spoiler: it didn’t. It quickly turned into a running gag with no payoff and zero relevance to the plot.

Hard to identify with tge story.

I didn’t ever really understand reforge and cutting into one’s skin for the story. I ended up wishing it were over.

The One Who and the One Who Stayed

Well written story of 2 girls growing up during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai and subsequent Civil War, Rise of Communism and their special talents. Simultaneously, the story of the granddaughter of 1 of the girls and her search for herself.

Interesting events and cute characters

I enjoyed the story. Cute ending and love the use of emojis in the texts!

Nothing

Different to follow story line and who was who. Couldn’t stay interested in story or characters