Scan barcode
A review by meaganmart
Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee
5.0
I wish that Goodreads would allow for an exception in their rating system. Five stars is not enough to convey how well-written or how important "Pahua and the Soul Stealer" is to the cannon of middle grades' fiction. I would give this book a thousand stars and mandate its inclusion in every children's library in the United States if I was able. Lori M. Lee does an incredible job not only of building a world that readers will be reluctant to leave, but of gently educating those who are unfamiliar with the Hmong culture with the intricacies of their oral traditions and mythology. I know a sequel is already slated, but I truly hope that there will be five, ten, fifteen installments of Pahua's story.
After the publication of the Percy Jackson and Tristan Strong series, I was so glad to see an expansion of the "Rick Riordan Presents" universe that included Asian mythology. As a middle grades librarian I can attest to the fact that there is a true lack of literature that reflects the diversity of our Asian population of students and cannot underscore how important this book will be for giving those students literature that reflects their lived experiences and their cultural background. We have already purchased several hard copies for our collection, and I know this is the first fantasy book featuring Hmong characters that we have been able to find.
Lee does such an incredible job of highlighting the feelings of otherness that can arise from belonging to a minority group in a largely homogenous community. Giving us a heroine that struggles to marry her Hmong culture with her desire to be accepted by her majority white peer group is so important and will lead to conversations with students about how we interact with those of different backgrounds and how we would feel if we were singled out or excluded because of the beliefs we were raised with. The story has incredible teaching potential before we even arrive at the "main" plotline.
And the main plotline is not one to be missed. The echo and the spirit realm that Lee builds are so vibrant that readers will instantly be transported with Pahua as she struggles to understand her own gifts and to save her brother Matt after inadvertently exposing him to a malevolent spirit. Pahua's true gift is not her strength or her ability to fight, but her ability to see through to the very heart of the people and situations in which she finds herself. This gift of discernment allows to to succeed even when her bravery stumbles and where others before her have failed. Her determination to save her brother from the spirit realm and return his soul to his body makes for harrowing reading, and children and adults alike will be loathe to leave the fantasy world Lee builds and will be eagerly awaiting the next installment to adventure with their friend Pahua once more.
After the publication of the Percy Jackson and Tristan Strong series, I was so glad to see an expansion of the "Rick Riordan Presents" universe that included Asian mythology. As a middle grades librarian I can attest to the fact that there is a true lack of literature that reflects the diversity of our Asian population of students and cannot underscore how important this book will be for giving those students literature that reflects their lived experiences and their cultural background. We have already purchased several hard copies for our collection, and I know this is the first fantasy book featuring Hmong characters that we have been able to find.
Lee does such an incredible job of highlighting the feelings of otherness that can arise from belonging to a minority group in a largely homogenous community. Giving us a heroine that struggles to marry her Hmong culture with her desire to be accepted by her majority white peer group is so important and will lead to conversations with students about how we interact with those of different backgrounds and how we would feel if we were singled out or excluded because of the beliefs we were raised with. The story has incredible teaching potential before we even arrive at the "main" plotline.
And the main plotline is not one to be missed. The echo and the spirit realm that Lee builds are so vibrant that readers will instantly be transported with Pahua as she struggles to understand her own gifts and to save her brother Matt after inadvertently exposing him to a malevolent spirit. Pahua's true gift is not her strength or her ability to fight, but her ability to see through to the very heart of the people and situations in which she finds herself. This gift of discernment allows to to succeed even when her bravery stumbles and where others before her have failed. Her determination to save her brother from the spirit realm and return his soul to his body makes for harrowing reading, and children and adults alike will be loathe to leave the fantasy world Lee builds and will be eagerly awaiting the next installment to adventure with their friend Pahua once more.