About the Book Synopsis: A fast-paced, high-kicking debut that’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets Stand Up, Yumi Chung as a young taekwondo artist uses an ancient book to help save her dreams—and her father. Twelve-year-old Modesty “Mo” Seto dreams of being a taekwondo champion. Even though her mom disapproves, Mo can always count on her dad, who is her … Continue reading Review for The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y. Chan →
About the Book
- Title: The Legendary Mo Seto
- Author: A.Y. Chan
- Publisher: Aladdin (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)
- Release Date: June 4, 2024
- Genre/Format: Middle Grade, Contemporary
- Cover Artist: Amber Ren
Synopsis:
A fast-paced, high-kicking debut that’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets Stand Up, Yumi Chung as a young taekwondo artist uses an ancient book to help save her dreams—and her father.
Twelve-year-old Modesty “Mo” Seto dreams of being a taekwondo champion. Even though her mom disapproves, Mo can always count on her dad, who is her number one fan and biggest supporter. Lately, Mo has been on a losing streak, and it doesn’t help that she keeps losing to her archnemesis, Dax, who’s much bigger than her. If only she were faster, stronger, not so petite. Mo can’t even lean on her dad like usual with how distracted he’s been lately.
When Mo learns about the chance to audition to star alongside her idol and legendary martial artist and movie star Cody Kwok, she knows this her chance to prove to her dad, to the world, and to herself that she can compete with anyone, no matter her size. Unfortunately, Dax is auditioning, too. As Mo and her nemesis progress to callbacks, someone attempts to sabotage the movie set and Mo’s dad disappears—and both events seem linked to a mysterious book, the Book of Joy.
The book contains information on Xiaoxi Fu, a secret dance-like martial art developed by Mo’s ancestral grandmother. Armed with these secret moves and an unexpected ally, Mo embarks on a high-octane adventure to rescue her father, save the movie, and discover an unexpected joy in being small.
Review
Despite the assumptions about her based on her short stature, Mo is strong and capable when it comes to martial arts. However, her height complex and hang-ups about being “second best” to her greatest rival lead her down a path of trying to be someone and something she’s not to prove herself worthy in the eyes of the world. In her journey to self-acceptance and embracing the aspect of herself that she’s insecure about, she makes some questionable choices because predictably (and realistically), insecurity sometimes brings out the worst in us. At times, I wanted to pull Mo aside and tell her to stop, or give her a hug, or both.
But Mo’s journey is not all misery and angst, for The Legend of Mo Seto is also packed with both kick-butt action from our titular heroine and silly fictional movie title puns galore, delivered with a wink and a nod, that pay tribute to the martial arts action flicks that form the inspiration for Mo’s dreams and the story itself. Throw in a secret society, a mysterious martial arts manual that brings danger to its possessors, and a few plot twists, and you have a fun romp of a middle grade novel that doesn’t necessarily take itself too seriously all the time.
Although there were times when certain plot points felt a little over-the-top to the point of stretching my suspension of disbelief, on second thought, none of them were more hyperbolic than the kinds of shenanigans that go down in the martial arts film genre that the book takes its cues from, so that aspect was ultimately forgivable. The book concludes with some questions answers and more questions surfaced and loose ends left unresolved in preparation for a sequel, which I look forward to checking out when it arrives in the future.
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About the Author
A.Y. Chan is the author of The Legendary Mo Seto, a story about a 12-year-old female martial artist who auditions for a movie role opposite her favorite martial arts movie hero—only to find out she’s too small for the role. Growing up in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area, A.Y. read all the middle grade and young adult books she could get her hands on. To this day, those remain her favorite genres. After achieving her black belt in Taekwondo, she explored a range of other types of martial arts, and she draws upon her experiences in learning new techniques and philosophies to inspire her writing. Find her on Instagram and X @aychanwrites.
Photo Credit: BW Photos
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