Young campers find themselves swept up in an ancient dragon war in this uncomplicated series kickoff. Hardly have they arrived at a (supposed) arts-and-language camp in a remote area of China than young Californian Billy Chan and campmates Dylan, Charlotte, and Ling-Fei meet and individually bond with four dragons who have been cut off from their ancestral Dragon Realm. The act confers special powers on the young adventurers, allowing them to break through to the Dragon Realm ly to discover that they've been tricked into a scheme that threatens to loose the archvillain Dragon of Death on the realms of dragons and humans alike. Aiming at audiences a level or two beyond their Sam Wu stories, the Tsangs plunge their simply fashioned characters e most nuanced of the humans being competitive Southern belle and junior jiujitsu champion Charlotte to a whirl of exploits, folding stylized dialogue, lots of dragons, and Chinese cultural notes into an action-oriented yarn with clearly drawn sides and stakes. A kidnapping at the close sets the stage for the next episode.

A group of friends find themselves in the middle of a war threatening both Dragon and Human Realms.Instead of surfing waves at home in San Francisco, Billy Chan's parents have sent him to a summer language camp in China, led by an elderly man nicknamed Old Gold. Billy's dad is from Hong Kong and his mother is White and American, and his Mandarin skills are limited. He quickly makes friends with campmates Dylan from Ireland, Southern belle (and martial artist) Charlotte-both of whom are White-and Ling-Fei, a local Chinese girl. Before long Billy notices some paranormal activity around the camp. The plot quickly progresses as the group experiences an earthquake-apparently the children inadvertently opened a mountain populated by four dragons who tell them that they are their matches. If the kids agree to bond with them, their combined powers can defeat the evil Dragon of Death, who threatens to conquer both Dragon and Human Realms. The kids agree, with varying levels of trepidation, but upon entering the Dragon Realm, they encounter seemingly impossible obstacles. The Dragon Realm features magical elements drawn from Chinese and European folktales, including winged dragons and rock trolls. While the story contains enough excitement to maintain readers' attention, solutions sometimes seem to present themselves too conveniently along the way. A sequel is promised with a cliffhanger ending.A high-interest read. (Fantasy. 9-12)

When 12-year-old San Franciscan Billy Chan is sent to summer camp in -middle-of-nowhere China- to explore his Chinese heritage and improve his Mandarin, he worries about being judged for his language skills, even though his father speaks Cantonese, not Mandarin. He-s quickly grouped with three other kids: the enthusiastic Dylan O-Donnell, from Ireland; Charlotte Bell, an overachieving pageant winner from the American South; and enthusiastic Liu Ling-Fei, a local resident. During an early team-building competition, the quartet experiences mysterious phenomena that include a vanishing tiger, and later stumbles across the mountain-s greatest secret: a cave of four dragons who say that the survival of dragon and human realms relies on a difficult-to-attain -dragon-human bond.- As each of the four bonds with a dragon, receiving fantastical gifts and powers, Billy and his friends learn they must defeat the malevolent Dragon of Death once and for all. With this series opener, married cocreators the Tsangs (the Sam Wu is Not Afraid of... series) kick off an adventure inspired loosely by Chinese folklore and focusing on the power of friendship, loyalty, and skill. Fast-paced and engaging, this tale emphasizes adventure over complexity, easily appealing to a young audience. While the portrayals rely on stock archetypes, the characters have room to grow in future installments. Ages 8-12. Agent: Claire Wilson, RCW. (Oct.)

Gr 4-6 Katie and Kevin Tsang's (the team behind the "Sam Wu" series) first in a new middle grade fantasy trilogy offers readers a fast-paced plot and dragons, but without much substance. When 12-year-old California surfer Billy Chan gets sent to a language and culture summer camp in rural China, he has no idea he's in for the adventure of his life. Billy and three of his campmates discover four dragons who've been trapped in nearby Dragon Mountain, unable to defeat the dark magic that is destroying both the dragon and human realms. Billy and his friends must decide if they are willing to risk everything to help save both worlds. Readers will enjoy new dragon lore, such as each dragon having a heart that matches a human's. And most won't be able to resist the predictable cliffhanger at the end of each chapter. However, they may also find the characters one-dimensional and the plot full of unexplained conveniences. Most alarming is the abrupt end of the book just as the action starts to build. Readers will have to wait for the rest of the story in the second installment. VERDICT A sure pick for Tui T. Sutherland's "Wings of Fire" readers, and those who just need to get their hands on every dragon book out there. Hillary Perelyubskiy, Los Angeles Public Library