Winnie Zeng Vanquishes a King - by Katie Zhao

About the Book

As the balance between the human and spirit realm becomes more fragile as Halloween aproaches, Winnie Zeng and her archnemesis and fellow member of the Shaman Task Force, David, must work with a new shaman to keep their town safe.

Book Synopsis

With chaos on the rise, one girl stands in the face of all evil . . . and we're not talking about homework! The action-packed sequel to the epic fantasy series inspired by Chinese mythology.

"A hilarious tussle between homework, family, and heroism." --Kwame Mbalia, #1 New York Times bestselling author

As shamans, Winnie Zeng and her archnemesis, David Zuo, have accepted their roles in guarding the world from evil spirits. But with Halloween around the corner, the balance between realms grows fragile--and so yet another shaman is assigned to help Winnie and David protect the town of Groton, Michigan.

The catch? The new shaman is just the worst. Not only is she way too perfect--she also has an ego to match, and thinks she's the best thing that's happened to Groton since Winnie's red bean brownies. Plus, she's confident she can save the world all on her own.

With evil spirits growing in number, Winnie and David find themselves in quite a pickle. While the newest shaman isn't convinced there's a storm brewing, this town is going to need all three of them on the same team . . . or there might not be a town left to defend.

Review Quotes

"Brisk, entertaining, and fun-filled." --Kirkus Reviews

Praise for the Winnie Zeng series
"A hilarious tussle between homework, family, and heroism, everyone will be rooting for Winnie Zeng." --Kwame Mbalia, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Funny, fast-paced, and deliciously fun. Readers beware: this book will make you hungry for more words--and definitely some mooncakes!" --Graci Kim, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Fallen Star

"A hilarious adventure, and a heartfelt journey about learning to love who you are." --Remy Lai, author-illustrator of Pie in the Sky

"Katie Zhao whips up a delightful contemporary fantasy about appreciating your culture and standing up for yourself . . . young readers will gobble up this hilarious and charming story!" --E.L. Shen, author of The Comeback

"Realistic and relatable. A fun, fast-paced fantasy with heart." --Booklist

"Readers will likely eagerly anticipate the next outing to see how Winnie, sardonic and brave, continues to evolve into the hero the world needs." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

Katie Zhao is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she earned a BA in English and political science in 2017 and a master of accounting degree in 2018. She is the author of the Dragon Warrior series, How We Fall Apart, Last Gamer Standing, and the Winnie Zeng series. She's a passionate advocate for diverse representation in literature and media.