School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

Gr 3-7 Twelve-year-old twins Mei and Yun live in the mountains near the Pearl River with their grandpa and cat, Smelly Tail. The villagers find the twins strange and gossip about their parents' mysterious disappearance on a venture to the City of Ashes. Grandpa makes irresistible mooncakes for Mei, Yun, and the villagers using his secret recipe. When the buzz on Grandpa's renowned mooncakes travels to the emperor himself, he sends his son on a special trip to sample the dessert. It is the auspicious Autumn Festival and Grandpa is elated for the prince to try his homemade mooncakes. Instead, a nightmare transpires as the mooncakes taste horrid, the prince is displeased, and the villagers haggle to no end. Grandpa's arrest is the final straw as the village falls into chaos and the weather goes bonkers. It is up to Mei and Yun to grasp the reins and save their grandpa, village, and parents. United, they bravely journey to the obscure City of Ashes where they meet the Jade Rabbit, fly on a magic cloud, and attempt to undo the 70-year-old curse plaguing their village. Set in the mountains of southern China, Schmidt beautifully weaves a tale rooted in Chinese folklore. The book resonates with excitement and fantasy as Mei and Yun experience magic firsthand while using their wits and brainpower. The character development is evident and convincing. Peeling away at the many layers of the narrative sits revenge and love at the center. The captivating resolution is an emotional rollercoaster, but well worth the escapade. The story is balanced with imagination, love, sadness, new friends, old foes, and enchantment. When two ordinary siblings are guided by compassion and big dreams, the sky's the limit as they collaborate to achieve the unthinkable. VERDICT Rick Riordan fans will find this story to be entertaining and engaging as the magical adventure unfolds.Suraya Jairam, Queens P. L., Hollis, NY

ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

It is time for the mid-autumn festival, a favorite time of year for 12-year-old twins Mei and Yun, because it is when their grandfather makes his famous mooncakes. This year they will have a special visitor, and their grandfather spends days preparing for their arrival. But when the day finally arrives, disaster ensues: their grandfather is arrested and set to suffer a dreadful fate while their small village is hit by a mysterious and catastrophic storm, destroying their crops and livestock. Now it is up to Mei and Yun to save their grandfather. Through their quest they will learn about old curses, encounter the legendary Jade Rabbit, and uncover the secrets of their family lineage. Schmidt has nicely woven Chinese mythology and history into a fantastic adventure. Readers will find themselves entranced by Schmidt's writing, which will draw them in much in the same way that a storyteller captivates listeners when retelling a folktale. The Dreamweavers is a story about love, family, and the perseverance of twin siblings when faced with the impossible.

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

A ghostly City of Ashes, a disappearing moon, and a sudden snowstorm are just some of the supernatural occurrences that kick off this mythology-inspired adventure novel set in China during the Ming Dynasty. Our protagonists are Mei and Yun Wu, twelve-year-old orphaned twins scrambling to rescue their grandpa after a disastrous encounter with the emperor's son during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Wu twins' tale overlaps with the story of Lotus, a beautiful, haunted poet who cursed the region seventy years earlier when her family was torn apart by a scorned admirer. Along with a bratty noble boy and an inventive princess, the Jade Rabbit (a celestial being with magical powers) helps the peasant siblings on their quest in the Imperial City. Schmidt's story contains many familiar folktale plot points and tropes -- magical travel, cases of mistaken identity, riddles. Passages about the book's titular "dream weaving" are whimsically described. The prose does contain a few anachronisms (some dialogue sounds more like modern-day speech, and today's Western units of time and speed are used), but they won't be distracting to most readers. An entertaining tale for those who enjoyed Lin's Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (rev. 9/09) and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland but might not be quite ready for the scary parts of the Harry Potter and Narnia books. Michelle Lee

Kirkus Reviews

Fraternal twins embark on a magical adventure to rescue their grandfather and break a decadeslong curse.After their parents' mysterious disappearance in the City of Ashes, 12-year-olds Mei and Yun have been outcasts in their village. Their orphan status and reputation for seeing vaporous auras have left them with few friends. The sister and brother have been raised by their grandfather, who is known for his delicious cooking. Word of his talent has reached the Imperial City, and the Emperor's son will be visiting to taste their grandfather's famous mooncakes. But a sour mood has overtaken the village, and the mooncakes taste disgusting and rotten. The twins' grandfather is taken away to the palace to await trial for supposedly using harmful magic on the prince. Determined to rescue him, Mei and Yun undertake a dangerous journey that reveals hidden truths about their family's roots and the cursed City of Ashes. Set in ancient China during the Ming dynasty, this fantasy incorporates elements of Chinese folklore, with the Jade Rabbit acting as a spiritual guide for the twins, references to the Monkey King, and the presence of a mirrorlike dream world. The twins' sibling bond never wavers throughout the challenges they face; like yin and yang, their individual personalities and strengths balance each other and highlight the story's theme of achieving peace by acknowledging both the light and the dark and creating your own destiny.An enchanting tale. (author's note, cultural notes) (Historical fantasy. 8-12)