Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

When Ai Ling runs away from home in order to find her father and while avoiding a forced marriage to an elderly local merchant, she has no idea that she has embarked on an adventure of destiny and revenge.  She will be entranced, threatened and nearly killed by a stunning bestiary of mythological creatures as she becomes aware that the balance of the world of the living and the dead depends upon her choices and actions.  Two brothers join her on her journey and quickly realize that Ai Ling possesses extraordinary powers: she can read minds, possess another’s body, is protected by a magical charm, and has wisdom beyond her years.  In fact, she carries experience, skill and purpose from a life lived 200 years ago. She is also a 17 year-old girl falling in love with one of her companions.  This is an epic saga written with flair and imagination that will captivate fans of girl-hero fiction (and films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).  Its cinematic pacing and elaborate descriptions make it easy to imagine the world of Ai Ling, where the mythic, the magic, and the mundane are deftly – and believably – interwoven.  Recommended for grades 7 and up.

John Sexton, WLS