The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon
From award-winning and bestselling author of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Grace Lin comes a gorgeously illustrated story about a lion cub and a girl who must open a portal for the spirits, based on Chinese folklore.
Jin is a Stone Lion–one of the guardians of the Old City Gate who is charged to watch over humans and protect the Sacred Sphere. But to Jin, those boring duties feel like a waste of time.
What isn’t a waste of time? Perfecting his zuqiu kick, scoring a Golden Goal, and becoming the most legendary player of all the spirit world.
But when Jin’s perfect kick accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere out through the gate, he has no choice but to run after it, tumbling out of the realm he calls home and into the human world as the gate closes behind him.
Stuck outside the gate, Jin must find help from unlikely allies, including a girl who can hear a mysterious voice and a worm who claims he is a dragon. Together, they must find the sphere and return it to the world beyond the gate…or risk losing everything.
Award-winning and bestselling author Grace Lin returns with another gorgeously illustrated adventure story about duty, love, and balance–expertly written in the vein of the Newbery Honor winner and modern classic Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.
Reading level: 8 – 12 years, grades 3 – 7
Pages: 272 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316478328
Behind the Story
Activities:
The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon
How Long is Longevity?
In the book, a magistrate steals a a bite from the peach of longevity. Folktales do not usually lead to math but if you explore the years in this story, you may solve some mysteries with this Math Exercise Fit for an Emperor!
Nuwa's Stones
The five-colored stones that the goddess Nuwa put in the sky now sometimes appear as a rainbow. You can cast your own reflection of Nuwa's gift with this Reflect and Refract a Rainbow activity!
Paper of Answers
The Paper of Answers only shows words when it is exposed to the light of the full moon. While we cannot offer you a paper that gives answers, we can show you how to create invisible writing that only shows in the presence of heat and light. With this activity, you can write your own invisible answers!
Walking Across the Heavenly Lake
In the kingdom of the Sea King, Pinmei and Yishan see the moon at the bottom of the Heavenly Lake. The Sea King tells them that their worlds connect. How can the sea and sky share a moon? Use this activity to make the worlds connect!
Giving Immortality
With Amah's stories, Pinmei was able to save everyone. Is there someone in your life that can give you stories, like Amah gave Pinmei? This activity will help guide you to collect and share stories...and maybe achieve immortality!