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Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon (Standard Edition) (2025, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) 4 stars

Decent, but I think I'm not the target audience

4 stars

Disclaimer: It has a been almost half a century since I qualified as a "young reader". I found the book engaging, but I suspect I would have enjoyed it more reading it to a child of the appropriate age.

I'm more used to the "young adult" trope of the young protagonist who is wiser than their adult peers, even if they undergo some growth in the book. Here the main character is constantly being described in words like "petulant", and mostly comes off as a bit of a twit, even compared to their age group peers. Of course this provides some narrative tension of its own, since it isn't clear young Jin will cope with the responsibilities they suddenly acquire.

There is some gentle suspense, and themes of death or separation of parents and children. Parents might like to read ahead to decide if their small human is ready for …