What an excellent fantasy that I can't wait to recommend to readers! The main character is relatable and engaging, the adventure pulls you along well, and the book is SHORT enough to read in a couple sittings! My patrons are clamoring for fantasy under 300 pages and between the great story and engaging art (I can't wait to see the final!) I doubt I'll be able to keep this one on the shelf.

Thank you so much to tbrandbeyond for including me in the book tour for this novel! I am excited to share my full review here and in my scheduled date on Instagram on 5/21!

3.5 stars. This light fantasy book’s strength is its quick-moving plot. Characterization and world-building remain pretty surface-level, and though it has a higher page count, difficulty and detail-wise it feels more like reading a Branches book. It also has sizable and frequent illustrations—so could be a good recommendation to kids who are looking to move a little up from Branches books. The “magic” of the paintbrush is that what one paints, if one really concentrates and connects while painting, comes to life—a concept we’ve seen many times before in children’s fiction (Polly Diamond, etc).

Also posted to Goodreads. Thanks for the digital ARC!

As a 30yr old artist, I became entranced in this well-crafted children’s fiction that dances with Chinese folklore. Amy is a young artist who is questioning herself as an artist against her peers. She feels her art has to “grow up” as she does, and feels blocked artistically when her art doesn’t come out the way she anticipates. Spring break changes all of that as Amy goes on an epic adventure with her Lao Lao to protect the magic paintbrush from falling into the wrong hands. Illustrations guide Amy’s vivid fun and adventures.

Zhang, Kat, The Magic Paintbrush. Pgs. 256. Penguin Random House, 2024

Amy loves when she visits her grandmother Lao Lao in Flushing. The two bond over art. Painting one day with one her grandmother’s jade paintbrushes, she learns that they are magical. When she paints a tiger, it come to life until she breaks the brush. Once she repairs it, it fixes. She continues to explore her painting with the brush. Meanwhile, nearby Chen’s painting of a taotie comes to life. He soon puts two and two together and is determines to stop the reckless painter. When he sees a video Amy posts, he realizes that she’s that painter and it alerts him to Amy’s whereabouts. Determined to put an end to Amy’s painting and get his paintbrush back, Chen comes after Amy with his taotie. Can Amy stop Chen?

The plot is simple, engaging, and magical. The characters are a little underdeveloped but are likable and engaging. Th world building is well done and helps bring Amy’s world to life. Illustrations are detailed, vivid, and help bring the story to life. Fans of fantasy, adventure, and art will want to pick this one up. Recommended for library collections where fantasy adventures are popular. 4 stars, Gr 2 to 4.

Please note: This was a review copy given to us by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

What a beautiful, beautiful book, filled with emotions and feelings, and art! This is a beautifully written middle-grade chapter book with adorable drawings. This book is filled with with fantasy, adventure, and a hefty touch of China. This is perfect for young readers who love their stories to be filled with some art and magic.

Thoroughly enjoyed this inventive and fun adventure. Young readers will love the interior illustrations. I always enjoy intergenerational stories this was fantastic. This is perfect for young readers who want a fantasy story that isn’t too complicated.

This was really well done children's novel.
It had everything I was looking for in a fantasy world. And I love the Chinese elements used in this story. I love the idea of an magical paintbrush. And how art becomes real during this sorry, my younger self would love that idea.
The still has a lot for adults toinjoy and I'm excited to read the next part of the series and from the author. Kat Zhang and Eric Darnell are a great team for this book and it was written perfectly with the power of imagination and you could see that in the writing.

sadly I'm not able to read this one at all , I tried to send it to my kindle to read since its so much eaiser to read on them the Netgalley app and i couldn't get it to work ,