The Spindle of Fate - by Aimee Lim

About the Book

"Twelve-year-old Evie Mei Huang never did like helping in her mom's tailor shop. She hated helping to mend fraying clothes, how the measuring tape got all twisted up, and how pushy her mother's clients were. Most of all, she hates that her mother is dead and isn't here to help anymore. But when the universe sends a life preserver, Evie knows to grab it. So yes, it's weird when a talking monkey shows up and tells her that her plainspoken, hardworking tailor mother was actually the head of a Guild of magical weavers who can change the fate of a person with only a spool of thread. Very weird. But he also comes bearing news that her mother is trapped in Diyu, the Chinese underworld, and that only Evie can get her back. No pressure. The important thing is that Evie's mom isn't dead. And if she's got this one shot to bring her back and save her family, she's got to take it"--

Book Synopsis

When Evie Mei discovers that her recently passed mother was the head of a guild of magical weavers, she enters the Chinese netherworld to try and bring her back in this middle-grade debut.

Twelve-year-old Evie Mei Huang never did like helping in her mom's tailor shop. She hated helping to mend fraying clothes, how the measuring tape got all twisted up, and how pushy her mother's clients were. Most of all, she hates that her mother is dead and isn't here to help anymore.

But when the universe sends a life preserver, Evie knows to grab it. So yes, it's weird when a talking monkey shows up and tells her that her plainspoken, hardworking tailor mother was actually the head of a Guild of magical weavers who can change the fate of a person with only a spool of thread. Very weird. But he also comes bearing news that her mother is trapped in Diyu, the Chinese underworld, and that only Evie can get her back. No pressure.

The important thing is that Evie's mom isn't dead. And if she's got this one shot to bring her back and save her family, she's got to take it.

Inspired by Chinese mythology, Aimee Lim's debut middle grade peers into the dark and gritty underworld, while showcasing the unbreakable bond between a family and the lengths we'll go to save them.

Review Quotes

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

"The Spindle of Fate took me on a delightful and creepy journey through the courts of hell with many laugh-out-loud moments. Evie is a spunky and relatable heroine who middle-grade readers are sure to love. I didn't want this book to end!"--Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times bestseller of A Magic Steeped in Poison

"With a perfect mix of irreverence and resourcefulness, twelve-year-old Evie Mei braves the delightfully gruesome Chinese underworld as she searches for her mother. Aimee Lim's inventive debut novel threads Chinese folklore through this tale that is both a bittersweet coming-of-age story and a harrowing quest that had me hooked from the opening line."--Miya T. Beck, Author of The Pearl Hunter and Through a Clouded Mirror

"The Spindle of Fate is a stunningly woven story about family and finding strength in unlikely places. Aimee Lim's prose is sharp, witty, propulsive, and utterly original. A must-read for fans of fantasy and adventure, The Spindle of Fate is a triumph. The stakes couldn't be higher in this magical quest, and readers will delight in the characters met along the way. Seamlessly balancing laugh-out-loud lines with heart-wrenching moments, this is one of the best books I've read in years. I couldn't flip the pages fast enough."--Alex Aster, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lightlark

"Lim's debut is a fast-paced, nail-biting page-turner featuring a likable narrator leaving her mundane life to take on a fantastical quest. The mix of gore, humor, and sentiment feels as if Pixar made a horror film, and the story is carried by a charismatic duo and their deepening friendship."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

"This debut, which explores grief, a complicated mother-daughter relationship, and family dynamics, also has a lot of heart. An enthralling adventure."--Kirkus

"Fast-paced action and dark humor combine with Chinese mythology to deliver an engrossing fantasy adventure about grief and healing."--Publishers Weekly

"A relatable Evie Mei candidly navigates questions about bereavement: how to be brave for her family, how to find meaning in senseless tragedy, and how to reconcile her love for her mother with their strained relationship. Lim's debut middle-grade fantasy will appeal to readers who appreciate a grim (and sometimes darkly comical) bureaucratic underworld and ask questions about how we learn to accept unavoidable grief."--Booklist