I enjoy this so much. It was super page turning. If I were a kid this book is intended to, I'd be invested with the characters. The adventure was cool. Everyone's unique and they show good morale on how to behave and wield power!!!

Thank you NetGalley and the independent publisher for accepting my request to read and review Zodiacland: The Five.

Author: Lorelei Tong
Published: 12/02/22
Genre: Children's Fiction -- middle grade

This was too much for me. By the third chapter I was frustrated. I needed a map, a flow chart, and a glossary. I kept thinking this is middle grade fiction. The tribal names, the places, etc., I found too complicated.

This middle grade fantasy novel tells the story of 5 guardians or "astro pals" who must stop the villains and recover the precious stones that align with the values they are trying to guard. The values include: Kindness, Justice, Decorum, Wisdom, and Faithfulness. There are also 12 tribes which mostly correspond with the Chinese Zodiac signs with the exception of rooster (chicken) and rat (mouse). The book is about 80 pages long and is divided into 9 chapters. The text is relatively large and well spaced, and is always black on white backgrounds. There are detailed black and white full page and part page illustrations in each chapter that help readers to understand the story. I also believe that some of the Chinese culture that is included would be a positive addition to a classroom or school library looking for more diverse texts. I could definitely see my Grade 3 students being interested in this book and would recommend it for middle grade readers in the grades 2-6 range. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!