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Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm

Book 1

Siobhan McDermott, Author

Yuzhen Cai, Illustrator

Series: Paper Dragons

Imprint: Hodder Children's Books

Publication date: February 1, 2024

Category: Fantasy

ISBN: 9781444970142

WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE MONTH

‘A soaring, luminous new world … An absolute delight!’ Jessica Townsend
‘An incredibly original and immersive fantasy adventure’ L.D. Lapinski
An absolute feast for the senses’ Nizrana Farook
‘A thrillingly immersive story of courage, self-discovery, and magic’ Sinead O’Hart

An extraordinary destiny unfolds . . .

Twelve-year-old Zhi Ging has always been an outcast. Until she receives an invitation to Hok Woh, an underwater school that offers her the chance to become immortal, and to finally belong.

There, she battles in hair-raising boat races, meets ageshifting tutors and competes in thrilling trials.

But there are rumours of a growing dark force . . . and students who fail the trials are disappearing. Can Zhi Ging uncover the truth before it’s too late?

The first in the unmissable magical fantasy series of 2024, set to take the world by storm. Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and Dragon Mountain.

Reviews

A gorgeous read from start to finish

Jasbinder Bilan, author of Asha and the Spirit Bird

A book full of magical delight!

Maisie Chan, author of Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths

A new classic fantasy adventure!

Eoin Colfer, internationally bestselling author

An incredibly original and immersive fantasy adventure. I cannot wait to read more!

L.D. Lapinski, author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency

A hidden underwater realm, a looming evil in the world beyond and, of course, dragons! I have no doubt readers are going to fall in love with this magical new world

J.J. Arcanjo, author of the Crookhaven series

Inspired by Chinese myths, this magical world is perfect for readers who love fantasy.

The Times

A soaring, luminous new world ... An absolute delight!

Jessica Townsend, bestselling author of Nevermoor series

A thrillingly immersive story of courage, self-discovery, and magic - as intricate as a glass dragon

Sinead O'Hart, author of The Silver Road

An enthralling story set in a world of dragons, cloud seas, jellyfish companions and so much more. An absolute feast for the senses!

Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

Siobhan McDermott

Siobhan McDermott was born in Hong Kong and grew up on a steady stream of stories filled with Chinese legends and Irish folklore. She now lives in the UK and continues to order dim sum in Cantonese tinged with a distinctly Dublin lilt. She worked in publishing for six years, during which she took part in every event imaginable: from a ‘yoga with your dog’ session in a bookshop to running around Isle of Man in a full unicorn onesie. She is now the PR Lead at BBC Maestro. Paper Dragons is her debut novel and was inspired by moments across her life: from childhood ferry trips between Lantau Island and Hong Kong, to travelling around Taiwan, Italy and Spain.

Yuzhen Cai

Yuzhen Cai is an illustrator and animator living in Shanghai, China. She trained in academic painting and sketching before moving to London in 2016 to study BA Illustration at the Camberwell College of Arts, where she graduated with a first class degree and was highly commended by the Macmillan Prize 2019.

Yuzhen has since completed a Masters in research at the Royal College of Art, where she explored illustration and storytelling. She is fascinated by whimsical settings and playful characters and enjoys creating art in both digital and manual mediums, combining flat bold colours with handmade textures.