Lizard's Tale

May 8, 2020

Gr 5 Up-Debut author Chan brings forth a World War II story set in steamy Singapore. Lizard is an orphan living off odd jobs and his own street smarts, and is only vaguely aware of the far-off war being fought in Europe. His main benefactor and boss gives him a job worth more money than he's seen in a lifetime, but when the job ends with disastrous results, Lizard must use his wits to outsmart the enemy. He must ask himself if the job is truly worth it, and what he'll do to uncover the truth. Even though many middle grade novels take place during or around World War II, a book set in Singapore is a welcome change. Chan writes this plot-driven novel with witty humor, and sets Lizard up to be a modern-day Aladdin-flying by the seat of his pants. While the story moves fast and the reader is compelled to turn the page, the world and the characters surrounding Lizard often fall flat, and do not strike the reader as real. VERDICT A welcome change of pace from the "typical" World War II novel; however, occasional character and setting flaws are distracting.-Emily Van Weerdhuizen, Sioux Center P.L., IA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2020
Grades 4-6 In a breathlessly paced debut, spies and counterspies clash as war tensions rise in 1940 Singapore. Hardly has Lizard, a ragged half-half orphan, stolen a package from the posh Raffles Hotel than the street boss who hired him is murdered and he's caught between secret agents of the British and the Japanese empires?both sides are out to secure his loot, which turns out to be a key to the latest Japanese military code. Fortunately he has resourceful allies in Georgina, the spoiled daughter of a British diplomat, and longtime local friend Lili Mak, student at a mission school that secretly trains young girls in martial arts and spycraft (woo-hoo!). Readers will be hard put to turn the pages fast enough through the whirl of chases, captures, close escapes, flying bullets and poison darts, and stunning revelations. The author adds nuance to her adventuresome caper by showing Singapore's British overlords to be nearly as ruthless as the oncoming Japanese, and it is the former that Lizard is in the midst of escaping in the sequel-ready final scene.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)