The Legendary Mo Seto

As a mom of who spent a lot of time watching both of my sons study martial arts (my youngest son in karate and my eldest son in taekwondo - getting his Black belt at 16 years old), I spent a lot of time in dojos and dojangs watching my sons study and compete. Needless to say, this book about a young martial artist, an ancient book and her family's secret past intrigued me.

Modesty 'Mo' Seto loves studying taekwondo and she's really good at it. But her focus on her small size is getting in the way of her success and it doesn't help that her biggest adversary has hit a growth spurt over the summer and is dominating competitions. He may be her biggest competition when it's announced that her hero, martial artist and actor Cody Kwok will be holding auditions for a protégé for his next movie. 

Focused on all the things she believes she can't do; Mo fears her small stature and lack of support at home will prevent her from reaching her goals. Enter her BFF (and comic relief) Ignacious (aka Nacho), a trick or two, a lot of determination and a secret book that teaches Mo a new martial art and information about her family's mysterious history. With all that going on, Mo just might have a chance!

This was a fun OwnVoices underdog debut story that has action, humour, heart and life lessons about finding your strength, keeping secrets, friendship, complicated familial relationships. The story is entertainingly farfetched and takes a bit to get into the action, but I enjoyed the fast-paced action scenes, the inclusion of secret societies, sabotage and mystery. This is a strong start to a new children's chapter book series.

Disclaimer: Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with a complimentary hardcover copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: A.Y Chan

Genre: Children's Fiction, Chapter Book, Bipoc author, Canadian

Type and Source: Hardcover from publisher/author

Publisher: Aladdin (Simon and Schuster Canada)

First Published: June 4, 2024

Read: August 13-17, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: A fast-paced, high-kicking debut that’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets Stand Up, Yumi Chung as a young taekwondo artist uses an ancient book to help save her dreams—and her father.

Twelve-year-old Modesty “Mo” Seto dreams of being a taekwondo champion. Even though her mom disapproves, Mo can always count on her dad, who is her number one fan and biggest supporter. Lately, Mo has been on a losing streak, and it doesn’t help that she keeps losing to her archnemesis, Dax, who’s much bigger than her. If only she were faster, stronger, not so petite. Mo can’t even lean on her dad like usual with how distracted he’s been lately.

When Mo learns about the chance to audition to star alongside her idol and legendary martial artist and movie star Cody Kwok, she knows this her chance to prove to her dad, to the world, and to herself that she can compete with anyone, no matter her size. Unfortunately, Dax is auditioning, too. As Mo and her nemesis progress to callbacks, someone attempts to sabotage the movie set and Mo’s dad disappears—and both events seem linked to a mysterious book, the Book of Joy.

The book contains information on a secret dance-like martial art developed by Mo’s ancestral grandmother. Armed with these powerful moves and an unexpected ally, Mo embarks on a high-octane adventure to rescue her father, save the movie, and discover an unexpected joy in being small.