Zhao, Katie

Katie Zhao is the author of the YA series Dragon Warrior and Winnie Zeng, the YA novel How We Fall Apart, and the middle-grade book Last Gamer Standing. She is a passionate advocate for diverse representation in literature and media. In Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend (Random House Books for Young Readers), Winnie has two goals: survive her first year of middle school and outdo her stuck-up archnemesis, David Zuo. It won’t be easy. According to her older sister, middle school is the pits. Luckily, Winnie’s studied middle school survival tactics in comic books and anime. Nothing will stop her from being the school’s best student. But none of Winnie’s research has prepared her to face the big hurdle: evil spirits. Making mooncakes for a class bake sale, she awakens the stuff of legends from her grandmother’s old cookbook, spilling otherworldly chaos into her sleepy town. Suddenly, Winnie finds herself in a race against time, vanquishing demons instead of group projects. Armed with a magic cookbook and a talking white rabbit, she must embrace her new powers and the legacy of her ancestors. If she doesn’t, her town – and the rest of the world – may fall into chaos forever. Homework’s going to have to wait.