Aladdin,978-1665937320

Over the past few years there has been a growth in the number of books featuring sports.  At one time it seemed to be mainly team sports such as football, but nowadays there is a much greater range.  With the advent of the Olympic Games, every four years, there is always a sudden spurt in the number of books written and recently we have had titles about gymnastics and swimming among others.

In this book, the heroine Mo Seto is fanatical about her martial art and the fact that she is less than 5 ft tall should not really matter.  However when she applies for a part in her hero’s next film, she finds that she is too short, but Mo is nothing if not determined and goes to extraordinary lengths to try and achieve her dream. This is also a story about family and the hidden world of Chinese secret societies; so when Mo’s father disappears and someone is trying to steal an ancient family heirloom, things take a very dangerous turn. This really is a book about determination, hard work and following your dream.  However it also shows us some lessons about  those we choose to admire; very often they have ‘feet of clay’ and are not the shining hero that you imagine.  What a truly fabulous heroine we have in Mo, but she needs help from some unexpected sources in order to achieve her dreams and solve the mysteries around the book.  A truly fantastic read, that will be popular for both boys and girls.  There are such positive role models and some strong messages, but above all this is a truly rip-roaring adventure that will have the reader hanging on to every word.

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 favourite 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. These days, she continues her martial arts training some mornings, writes in the afternoons, takes long walks to muddle out plot points, and falls asleep reading.

Why I wrote this book:
I started training in taekwondo when I was six and, growing up, I longed to read books about kick-butt girls doing kick-butt things, but there really weren’t as many as I had hoped for. The idea for this book has been percolating in my head ever since. I wish to inspire kids not only to be brave and never give up, but also to be proud of who they are.

My inspiration for my story came from a real city-wide competition, where, like Mo, my protagonist, I faced off against a bigger, stronger boy during the final match. At that time, pairings were determined by belt-level and age, not by weight class. I ended up losing. I remember feeling so crushed by my second-place finish, and I kept replaying the fight in my head, wondering what I could have done differently.

I was also inspired by martial arts movies—especially the stunt actors and body doubles, and the thugs in the background serving as punching bags for the protagonist. As an introvert, I never wanted to be the main character…but to get beat up by the main character? That seemed awesome. After achieving my black belt in Taekwondo, I explored other types of martial arts and came away with an appreciation for the similarities and differences in the different forms, and how each has a unique philosophy linking the physical to the mental (and spiritual). Martial arts is about discipline and practice, but it’s also about respect (for oneself and for others) and integrity. And, of course, indomitable spirit, the all-encompassing light within us all that shines with determination and hope and an unshakable optimism for a brighter tomorrow.

Best,
A.Y.

Author Socials:
Twitter/X: @aychanwrites
Instagram: @aychanwrites
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