The Dragon’s Eyes

By: Megan Chew

Li-Ann is excited when her best friend Olivia (who gives the best parties) invites her to a sleepover. There’s only one problem — her mom reminds her that the Lunar New Year Eve family reunion dinner falls on the same evening, and it is an important tradition that she absolutely cannot miss. When Li-Ann finds her grandmother’s old kong ming lantern, she offers to restore it — if her mom would let her go to the party. Mom’s “we’ll see” response is enough to spur Li-Ann into action.

But just as she paints the finishing touches on the lantern, something unexpected happens that whisks her off into the night sky and across the ocean to the family reunion dinner in China, where she bonds with relatives she’s only ever seen in pictures.

The Dragon’s Eyes addresses the struggles of second generation- Canadian children while celebrating the importance of staying connected to family and one’s cultural roots.