What's Up with Asian American Child Authors?

October 24, 2007

Here's what it says:

HONG KONG (Oct. 23, 2007) – Mythix I: Revelation by twelve-year-old Justin Tse is a wildly imaginative tale about three friends who discover that the invented game they have been playing is now quite real.

Sometimes, there is a thin line between make-believe and reality, and in twelve-year-old Justin Tse’s extraordinary novel for kids, Mythix I: Revelation, that line is crossed with dramatic flair. This is the story of a group of kids who find themselves thrust into an enchanted and war-torn world of Mythix. Suddenly gifted with magical powers, the friends soon discover that it’s up to them to bring peace back to Mythix. But can they succeed? Or will they all be destroyed trying?

Gorgeously written and power-packed with colorful characters, Mythix is set in both an imaginary world and Dallas, Texas, where his family is from and where the rest of his extended family resides. Originally written to entertain Tse’s family, Mythix is now the first book in an ongoing series. Fast-paced, fun, and full of adventure, Mythix announces the debut of a fantastic new fantasy series and a talented new writer.

In Issue 12, Mimi Lok reviewed Swordbird, which was penned by Nancy Yi Fan when she was 12 years old. Then there's this seven-year-old literary giant and humanitarian.

I have a renewed interest in the diversification of Asian American child prodigies, which you'll see in the next issue of Hyphen, but I think the young writers get under my skin since I am a writer myself. At least a little kid doctor has to know what they are doing, while a little kid writer seems a bit of a novelty. But I guess we'll see. We wouldn't want any more kids to go down the path of this young upstart.

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