Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao, Read by Neo Cihi
Action-Packed Middle-Grade Listening
Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens.
Neo Cihi narrates Xiran Jay Zhao’s action-packed middle-grade audiobook, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor, with dramatic emphasis. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this contemporary fantasy packed full of Chinese mythology and history. Zachary Ying is swept into a supernatural quest across China when he’s possessed by the spirit of a 2,000-year-old Chinese emperor through his high-tech gaming device. He joins fellow possessed 12-year-olds Simon and Melissa to help save China—and his mom, whose own spirit is in danger. Cihi switches seamlessly between English and Chinese and helps listeners feel all the tension as the high-intensity adventure ramps up.
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