Lizard's Tale

by Weng Wai Chan

Overview

It’s Singapore in 1940, war is just around the corner—but 12-year-old Lizard doesn’t know that. He lives in Chinatown above a tailor’s shop, surviving on his wits and hustling for odd jobs. When he steals a small teak box containing a Japanese code book from a Raffles Hotel suite, he finds himself in a dangerous world of wartime espionage. Lizard doesn’t know who to trust. How is the mysterious book inside the box connected to his friend Lili, a girl full of secrets and fighting skills? Can he trust her, or will she betray him in the end?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781925603910
Publisher:	Text Publishing Company
Publication date:	05/12/2020
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.75(h) x (d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Weng Wai Chan was born and grew up in Singapore. She now lives in Auckland with her husband and three children. Lizard’s Tale is her first book.

Editorial Reviews

"In addition to its strong pacing, intriguing mystery, and humorous elements, Chan’s debut is packed with underlying themes of belonging, prejudice, and empowerment… An action-packed adventure with wide appeal.”—Kirkus, Best of 2020

"Readers will be hard put to turn the pages fast enough through the whirl of chases, captures, close escapes, flying bullets and poison darts, and stunning revelations."—Booklist

"I loved streetwise Lizard; his loyalty, grit and optimism as he grapples with the criminal underworld, his lost uncle and the shadowy manoeuvres and menaces of WWII. Funny, moving and full of action, Lizard’s Tale is a spy story where the kids are more than capable of handling themselves, the stakes are high and there’s a surprise or secret around every corner."—Leanne Hall, author of Iris and the Tiger

"A delightfully entertaining, historical story…adventurous and enchanting, exploring colonisation, wartime and the changing multiculturalism of Singapore during the forties, Lizard’s Tale is spirited and utterly delightful."—Diva Booknerd

From the Publisher

05/08/2020

Gr 5 Up—Debut author Chan brings forth a World War II story set in steamy Singapore. Lizard is an orphan living off odd jobs and his own street smarts, and is only vaguely aware of the far-off war being fought in Europe. His main benefactor and boss gives him a job worth more money than he's seen in a lifetime, but when the job ends with disastrous results, Lizard must use his wits to outsmart the enemy. He must ask himself if the job is truly worth it, and what he'll do to uncover the truth. Even though many middle grade novels take place during or around World War II, a book set in Singapore is a welcome change. Chan writes this plot-driven novel with witty humor, and sets Lizard up to be a modern-day Aladdin—flying by the seat of his pants. While the story moves fast and the reader is compelled to turn the page, the world and the characters surrounding Lizard often fall flat, and do not strike the reader as real. VERDICT A welcome change of pace from the "typical" World War II novel; however, occasional character and setting flaws are distracting.—Emily Van Weerdhuizen, Sioux Center P.L., IA

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