The Emperor's Riddle

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Above the TreelineMia Chen isn t too excited about spending a month of her summer vacation in her mother s hometown in China, especially since it means that her family including brother Jake and Aunt Lin have to stay in the family apartment with her uncle Mia s a little spacey sometimes, but when Aunt Lin is gone one morning, she is sure that something bad has happened Her aunt s friend, Ying, had visited the night before, and Mia has a bad feeling about him This inte [...]

This was a lot of fun, just not as epic and fantastical as I was expecting Adored the brother sister relationship though

Mia is not thrilled to be spending a month of her summer vacation in China visiting her mother s hometown, far away from her best friends and everything she likes to do When Ying, a childhood friend of her Aunt Lin s, shows up and they start to talk about the treasure hunting they used to do when they were young, Mia is intrigued And when her aunt suddenly leaves, saying she s going to spend some time with friends, Mia is suspicious Her aunt has told her about the legend of Emperor Zhu Yunwen an [...]

Been feeling super meh lately, thus I m immensely proud to say that this is the first book I started and finished in 2018 RTC

Rating 3.5 The Emperor s Riddle is an adventure tale of eleven year old Mia, as she tries to solve a series of riddles in Fuzhou, China, to seek an old Emperor s treasure and help her search for her missing Aunt Personally, what I loved most was the way Zhang takes the reader on a tour of Fuzhou while the characters try to solve the riddles to the Emperor s treasure As I have never been to any of the places mentioned in the book, it was fascinating to get knowledge and visualize the historical p [...]

I d give this 3 1 2 stars The ending was very exciting Mia s character seemed to change towards the end and made her stronger The end also leaves the door open for books about Mia and Aunt Lin.

China s past is important to Mia s present as she follows an ex emperor s clues across China to find a treasure and her missing aunt.

Note I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

Mia isn t super excited about going to China with her mom, aunt, and brother They ll be visiting the home where Aunt Lin and Mom grew up and where their uncle who is like a stranger now lives Mia would much rather spend summer break with her friends back in Tennessee But when Aunt Lin suddenly disappears and everyone else brushes it off as just Aunt Lin being Aunt Lin, Mia knows something is up The last thing Aunt Lin was looking at was a treasure map hidden behind an old family painting that l [...]

Mia, her mom, brother Jake and her Aunt Lin have gone to China to visit their relatives At first, Mia is not excited and upset to be away from her friends, but then she gets involved in a mystery Her Aunt Lin tells her about a hidden treasure from 600 years ago and the map that leads to its hiding place One night, Aunt Lin goes missing, and Mia thinks that Ying, an old friend of her aunt s is to blame No one else believes her.Mia decides that if she solves the riddles that lead to the hidden tre [...]

Zhang, Kat The Emperor s Riddle, 235 pages Aladdin Simon , 2017 17 Mature Content G Language G Violence PG scary.At first Mia is not excited about going to visit her uncle in China for a month of summer vacation, even if her brother, mother, and favorite aunt are coming along But returning to her home reminds Aunt Lin of a mystery from her own childhood that she never solved When Aunt Lin disappears in the middle of the night, Mia knows it has to do with the angry man from Lin s past and the fam [...]

Mia is not thrilled about going on a family trip to China with her mother, older brother Jake, and Aunt Lin She would rather stay home and hang out with her friends Once they get to the apartment that her mother and aunt grew up in, things don t seem so bad She s been going to Chinese school, so she can speak to people and read street signs Plus she loves hanging out with her aunt, who promises they will have all kinds of fun adventures But when her aunt disappears suddenly, Mia doesn t believe [...]

Zhang has a beautiful way of writing for the juvenile audience This book will introduce readers to Chinese history and culture while incorporating elements of a thrilling treasure hunt I wish that the author had included descriptions of the Chinese monuments and historical places, as it was something I had to look up I m not sure that every child who reads this book will do the same to gain further understanding of what the places look like and why they are important.Overall, the clues are fun [...]

The descriptions of China alone made this book amazing So atmospheric and engaging This moved quickly and had some great action scenes I loved all the cultural details and how important history place were to the mystery The characters are not developed overly well, but are relatable nonetheless I almost wished there d been slightly of Mia s relationship with her mother as well as her aunt I thought there were some interesting details in the brief snippets you see that could have been fleshed ou [...]

As a kid, I loved adventure stories with a puzzle and or riddles The Emperor s Riddle has all that and a big mystery, lots of family dynamics, a creepy bad guy and a gorgeous location.It s a fun adventure which kids will love and totally absorb.Mia is inquisitive, slightly shy and very resourceful She s also an Asian American visiting relatives in China The book touches on the unique position of being bi cultural and assimilation which is so rare in Middle Grade books There are some great descri [...]

As an adventure mystery, I thought this worked well I liked the mystery of the Emperor s riddles and long lost treasure I also enjoyed the characters for the most part However, I didn t understand some of Mia s behaviors I wished her thoughts and feelings about interacting with other people had been explained a little clearly Overall, this is an action packed read focusing on a history and place that kids around here might not know much about.Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader [...]

This book was absolutely perfect I loved how Kat Zhang gave us a sense of the world and the characters from the very first page, the very first sentence even I loved the historical riddles that needed to be understood, the mystery that needed to be solved and the bonding that happened between brother and sister This book was a super quick read for me but it was absolutely wonderful and I think that it is an awesome middle grade book

I really appreciate Kat Zhang s obvious understanding of contemporary China and what every day family life is like in a small city in southern China There is no nostalgia or exoticism just a fun mystery with a riddle and a less known legend of a hidden treasure by a Ming Dynasty emperor I would have welcomed a savorable prose style or characters that I care about but that is just to satisfy my own taste I will definitely share this with my mystery loving students.

I found this to be quite a satisfying read The writing is seamless, the story is fun intriguing and fast paced I love how the riddles take you to historically iconic places in China s history as well.Mia s relationship with her family members is complex but also heartwarming I will follow her for another adventure if that ever happens I won this ARC in a twitter giveaway hosted by the author.

This book was bland, to say the least I liked the riddle solving but the plot was quite boring The writing was fine But the main character, Mia, was the worst She annoyed me to no end I just wanted to get over with this book, I might be in a reading slump.

This was a quick but super fun read I love books with riddles and puzzles The quest to solve the emperor s riddle takes you on a mini tour of Fuzhou and delves into a bit of early Ming Dynasty history It left me yearning to visit China when I was done Full review to come on my blog.

The Emperor s Riddle is a great story It s full of mystery, a little sibling rivalry and a little history I loved the poetry of the riddles and the map Thank you Kat Zhang for giving me the opportunity to read this book I cannot wait to share it with my students.

Such a fun adventure mystery storyline, with riddles Mia was a really lovable heroine Extended family Siblings working together Loved the setting in China because even though I haven t been to that particular province, I could picture things really clearly Very quick and enjoyable read

did not realize this is for middle grade readersi think it would play well in that demographic, but doesn t have adult crossover appeal

I give this book a 3.5 It was a fun mystery, but I would like it if Mia grappled with the riddles The answers came a little too easily to her.

Fast paced fun

3.5 stars Enjoyable although I wanted a little description of the sights I really liked that the map was given after each clue to update the emerging picture.

To reconnect to their family s roots, siblings Mia and Jake Chen, their mother, and their aunt, Lin, spend their summer vacationing in China The best part for Mia is hearing about Aunt Lin s upbringing As a teenager, Aunt Lin was a laborer in the Fujian countryside While there she and fellow laborer, Ying, heard about the deposed emperor, Zhu Yunwen, and his hidden treasure After 600 years, no one has found his hoard During Mia s vacation, Ying surprisingly arrives to see Aunt Lin The next day, [...]

Oh, how I wish there d been backmatter All too often I had to stop and look up things did the Emperor exist What about the temples etc Oh well Beyond that, the mystery and riddle solving will interest readers, and the diversity identity issues are presented in a way that they can identify with easily.