Sunlight Playing over a Mountain
$49.05
- Hardcover
320 pages
- Release Date
29 April 2025
Summary
A lyrical, mythology-tinged debut novel about a Chinese-Filipino teenager whose world of daydreams is destroyed by a family secret-perfect for fans of Emily X.R. Pan and Ann Liang.
Jasmine Cheng has grown up on stories spun by her beautiful, free-spirited mother. Together, they’re the Phoenix and Dragon. Jasmine’s father is the god Pangu, creator of the heavens and earth. Her mother may have boyfriends, but Jasmine chases them away. For her mother, love brings chaos, sleepless nights,…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781641296489 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1641296488 |
| Author: | Selina Li Bi |
| Publisher: | Soho Press |
| Imprint: | Soho Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 320 |
| Release Date: | 29 April 2025 |
| Weight: | 567g |
| Dimensions: | 216mm x 148mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
Praise for Sunlight Playing over a Mountain
A PADIBA Commended Book
“Li Bi’s hypnotic writing blurs myth and reality, capturing Jasmine’s inner turmoil as she grapples with her mother’s neglect and the harsh truth of their circumstances … A book about the myths we weave to survive, the pain of seeing those myths unravel, and the strength it takes to pick up the broken shards and rebuild our story.”
—TeenTix
“Selina Li Bi has invited readers into her enchanted yet down-to-earth world in this fresh, original coming-of-age story.”
—BookTrib
“A magical debut!”
—AudioFile Magazine
“An extraordinary coming-of-age tale … [that] will keep readers turning the pages for answers. Highly recommended, especially for those who grew up in a less-than-magical world.”
—School Library Journal, Starred Review
“The emotional impact of Jasmine’s struggle to act as her mother’s caretaker is viscerally conveyed without overly dramatizing or romanticizing the situation … With narrative priority placed on Jasmine’s emotional journey, this is a realistic depiction of parentification that readers will find to be either validating or eye-opening.”
—Booklist
“Jasmine contends with racism, the prospect of foster care, first love, and complicated feelings surrounding her mother’s condition, circumstances which Li Bi depicts in dreamlike, Chinese mythology–tinged prose.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Intriguing … Bi’s young adult debut presents original depictions of mental illness that are suffused with Chinese myth and Filipino folklore. Both Jasmine and her mother walk a fine line between fantasy and reality.”
—Kirkus Reviews
About The Author
Selina Li Bi
Selina Li Bi was born to immigrant parents from the Philippines. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University Moorhead and is also a certified Creativity Coach. Her work has appeared in Nonwhite and Woman- 131 Micro Essays on Being in the World, riksha- Asian American Creative Arts in Action, and Cricket, among others. She is the author of the poetry chapbook Displaced and has written several books for the children’s educational market. She currently lives in North Dakota and enjoys running and yoga. Sunlight Playing over a Mountain is her debut novel.
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