Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend

By: Katie Zhao

Narrated by: Annie Q

An epic new fantasy series inspired by Chinese mythology that #1 New York Times bestselling author Kwame Mbalia calls "a hilarious tussle between homework, family, and heroism." When a girl awakens the stuff of legends from an old family recipe, she must embrace her extraordinary heritage to save the world.

Winnie Zeng has two goals: survive her first year of middle school and outdo her stuck-up archnemesis, David Zuo. It won’t be easy, since, according to her older sister, middle school is the pits. Luckily, Winnie studied middle school survival tactics in comic books and anime, and nothing will stop her from being the very best student.

But none of Winnie’s research has prepared her to face the mother of all hurdles: evil spirits. When she makes mooncakes for a class bake sale, she awakens the stuff of legends from her grandmother’s old cookbook, spilling otherworldly chaos into her sleepy town.

Suddenly Winnie finds herself in a race against time, vanquishing demons instead of group projects. Armed with a magic cookbook and a talking white rabbit, she must embrace her new powers and legacy of her ancestors. Because if she doesn’t, her town—and rest of the world—may fall to chaos forever.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of recipes from the book

Critic reviews

“A hilarious tussle between homework, family, and heroism, everyone will be rooting for Winnie Zeng.” —Kwame Mbalia, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Funny, fast-paced, and deliciously fun. Readers beware: this book will make you hungry for more words—and definitely some mooncakes!” —Graci Kim, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Fallen Star

“A hilarious adventure, and a heartfelt journey about learning to love who you are.” —Remy Lai, author-illustrator of Pie in the Sky

"Katie Zhao whips up a delightful contemporary fantasy about appreciating your culture and standing up for yourself . . . young readers will gobble up this hilarious and charming story!” —E.L. Shen, author of The Comeback

"Realistic and relatable. A fun, fast-paced fantasy with heart.” —Booklist

"Readers will likely eagerly anticipate the next outing to see how Winnie, sardonic and brave, continues to evolve into the hero the world needs." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Magical girl slice of life

I love Winnie Zeng and kept thinking Card Captor Sakura vibes, if she were Chinese American. My daughter loved the story and the audio book was extremely well narrated. I found the characters so relatable and the problems of the story believable. I only wish more people knew of this series and will share it with others.