REVIEW Team Chu and the Wild Ghost Chase (Team Chu #3) by Julie C. Dao

Team Chu and the Wild Ghost Chase (Team Chu #3) by Julie C. Dao
Rating: 5 Stars
Release Date: September 10, 2024
Format: Audiobook (Personal Library, Libro.fm)
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (FSG)

Julie C. Dao has created another fun middle grade adventure book with her latest installment in the Team Chu series, Team Chu and the Wild Ghost Chase. Tuba the Cat’s influencer status (courtesy of siblings Marta and Iggy Morales) has landed him a coveted invitation to the Spooky World Pet Gala, so they invite all their friends to join them for the weekend. Once there, they get involved in another mystery and have to find out what happened to the legendary “Weeping Lady” before it’s too late. 

The author does a great job in bringing in problems the average middle schooler would face to these books. Sadie is struggling in school, but doesn’t want to tell her parents because of how proud they were that she tested into the higher classes. Her older brother Clip is desperate for recognition for his talents on the soccer field, but that causes a lot of conflict with his lifelong best friend (and fellow co-captain) Derek. Their other friends do their best to help with each situation, but can’t really get in the middle. Overall, I think the author did a great job making the problems feel authentic and relatable, especially for the intended audience of these books. 

The other highlight of this book for me was worldbuilding. Ms. Dao did such a great job creating the amusement park that is Spooky World. Even for a scaredy cat like me (who won’t go anywhere near places like Universal Halloween Horror Nights), I could definitely see myself wanting to visit Spooky World. There’s something for everyone at this place - she designed cool new rides, museums, spooky treats and even haunted houses. The way she wove in the legend of the Weeping Lady was great, and I really enjoyed the way the mystery unfolded at the end of the book. 

Narrators Angela Tran, Richard Nguyen, and Andrew Joseph Perez did an excellent job with bringing the kid’s perspectives to life. While this is the current projected end of the series, I would really love to see more books set in this world. I recommend the Team Chu series to those who would enjoy middle grade adventure books filled with friendship, mystery, and just a touch of the fantastical/supernatural. 

REVIEW Team Chu and the Epic Hero Quest (Team Chu #2) by Julie C. Dao

Team Chu and the Epic Hero Quest (Team Chu #2) 

by Julie C. Dao
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Format: Audiobook (Personal Library)
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (FSG)

Julie C. Dao’s Team Chu and the Epic Hero Quest, the sequel to her debut middle-grade novel Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena, is another family friendly humorous book filled with medieval-inspired challenges, a fantasy inspired quest to save a magical realm, and a mysterious wizard who keeps randomly showing up in socks and flip flops. 

Team Chu and the Epic Hero Quest picks up after the events of the first book, with Clip, Sadie, their friends, and all of their families traveling to the set of the new War of Gods and Men reality TV show (which they won a place to compete on after winning the laser tag event). The original narrators Richard Nguyen and Angela Tran returned to reprise their roles as Clip and Sadie, along with a new narrator A.J. Beckles to help bring Jeremy’s point of view to life. All three did an excellent job capturing the youthful nature of the characters, the joy of getting to play and compete with each other, and the awe of getting to participate in such a unique experience. 

When you’re reading this book, you can tell that the author had a lot of fun writing it and letting her imagination run free. She balances the adventure and fun elements of the book with a bit of mystery and drama. The challenges the kids face are complex in a way that adult readers like me can still appreciate them and be entertained, but authentic in that they should be able to feasibly be done by a child. Speaking of children - ‘Team Chu’ is composed of a diverse set of kids with unique talents and strengths, and it was a treat to see them compete at the different challenges and grow over the course of the story. Like seriously, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face while listening to the book. Jeremy and Sadie were my favorites, and I particularly enjoyed their best friend dynamic. Another highlight was getting to see the kids interact with the other competitors on the show and even the grown ups who were serving as actors playing a role in the story (sort of a non-playable character, or NPC if you are familiar with video games). 

Overall, Team Chu and the Epic Hero Quest was another excellent book from Julie C. Dao. The books are written as a series, with the events of the second book following those of the first, but I don’t think you need to read the first to understand the second book. To sum it up in a nutshell, the series is reminiscent of a kid-friendly version of Jumanji or the game show Legends of the Hidden Temple. The ending of this book was anticipated but still very exciting, and I’m eager to see what’s next for Sadie, Clip, Jeremy and the rest of their friends in the final book of the trilogy.  

About the Book

Check out acclaimed author Julie C. Dao's debut middle grade series, featuring a team of kids ready for any challenge-even saving the fantasy world of Pantaera from dark forces and certain ruin!

The popular fantasy video game War of Gods and Men is being adapted for reality television, and Team Chu and company are competing for the title of child hero: the young person destined to unite the forces of Pantaera to save it from a sinister fate. Over the next week, they'll be challenged by sirens, vampires, elves, and more in Tests of Courage, Determination, Humility, Intelligence, and Strength.

Popular athlete Clip is confident he'll take the prize, if it weren't for that test of humility. And despite claiming not to care about the game, Sadie finds herself pulled into the immersive world of Pantaera and rising to meet the challenges thrown her way. And her best friend, Jeremy, proud nerd and last pick for P.E. teams, wants more than anything to save the world of the game he loves, no matter the cost.

Join Clip, Sadie, Jeremy, and their friends on a thrilling adventure through an extraordinary fantasy world to learn who among them has what it takes to become Pantaera's child hero!

About the Author

Julie C. Dao is the author of several acclaimed novels for teens and children, including FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS and BROKEN WISH, published by Disney Books. A proud Vietnamese-American who was born in upstate New York, she now lives in New England. Follow her on Twitter @jules_writes.

Julie is represented by Tamar Rydzinski of Context Literary Agency.

Photo Credit: Melody Marshall

Pronunciation: JOOL-lee DOW
Pronouns: She/He

REVIEW Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena by Julie C. Dao

Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena 

by Julie C. Dao
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: July 26, 2022
Format: Hardcover (Personal Library) + Audiobook (Giveaway Win)
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux 

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Julie C. Dao’s Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena is an epic middle-grade debut complete with fierce sibling rivalries, fairytale-inspired elements, and a mysterious laser tag arena all in one. 

Chu siblings Sadie and Clip have a stereotypical sibling rivalry; they excel in different areas, argue over who gets to pick where the family eats, and love getting to one-up each other. The one area they share an interest in is laser tag, and when the new Blackwood Gaming Arena opens in town it promises loads of fun and adventure. When the new virtual reality experience presents some unexpected challenges, they must overcome their differences and work together before it's too late. 

Julie captured the essence of sibling rivalry in this book. I saw a lot of myself and my relationship with my sister in Sadie and Clip’s interactions. Being the youngest sibling, I definitely connected with Sadie the most. One of my favorite quotes from the book is this, “When you have siblings, no one else in the world knows what it’s like to be one of you….Siblings grow up together. They have inside jokes, secret languages, and codes only they understand. It’s different from any other bond in the world.”

I'm so happy I picked up a print copy of the book because I loved the little illustrations interspersed throughout the chapters (i.e. older brother Clip triumphantly pointing his laser tag blaster down at little sister Sadie). I also received a giveaway copy of the audiobook (thank you to the author) and narrators Angela Tran and Richard Nguyen did a fantastic job with their performance. They really captured the youthful nature of the characters, the exuberance kids have when they get excited, and even the smug satisfaction of beating your sibling at something.  

A loose reimagining of the story of Hansel and Gretel, it was reminiscent of a kid-friendly version of Jumanji or Legends of the Hidden Temple. The ending was super fun, and I’m so excited to see what’s next for Sadie and Clip since this will be a trilogy. 

About the Author

Julie C. Dao is the author of several acclaimed novels for teens and children, including FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS and BROKEN WISH, published by Disney Books. A proud Vietnamese-American who was born in upstate New York, she now lives in New England. Follow her on Twitter @jules_writes.

Julie is represented by Tamar Rydzinski of Context Literary Agency.

Photo Credit: Melody Marshall

Pronunciation: JOOL-lee DOW
Pronouns: She/Her