The Legendary Mo Seto is an absolutely glorious book, full of warm characters and adventure. There is so much to love about this novel – from the tight plot, to the lovely details that make Mo feel real (for example, the fact that she says every film starring her favourite actor is the best movie ever).
I could honestly rave about this story for days, but I think more telling than anything is that fact that my husband who doesn’t read has run off with our copy of the book! And my nine year old asked me if he could write the review! So here it is!
Mo Seto is an amazing book filled with action excitement and wonderful friendships. I really enjoyed that the main character [Mo] has got growth problems and that it shows that just because you are small doesn’t mean you’re not strong. I also like that it is based in Canada because most books are set in places like London or America. It was a bit of a slow start but it quickly became an unputdownable book and I defo think it should have a sequel because it was SO, SO, SO, SO, SO good! And it was actually one of the best books if you could get through the tiny window of a slow start.
By Youngest, age 9*
Book Blurb: Mo Seto, martial arts movie star! Has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? If only there wasn’t a height restriction to audition. But 12-year-old Modesty (Mo) Seto has never let her height get in the way before, not when she became a black belt, or when she fought the meanest boy in her class, and she’s not going to let it stop her this time! Now if only she can figure out a way to grow five inches and fool everyone at the auditions… Join Mo on an adventure (and audition) of a lifetime and find out if powerful things really do come in small packages!
About the Author: A.Y. Chan is the author of The Legendary Mo Seto, a story about a 12-year-old female martial artist who auditions for a movie role opposite her favourite martial arts movie hero—only to find out she’s too small for the role. Growing up in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area, A.Y. read all the middle grade and young adult books she could get her hands on. To this day, those remain her favourite genres. After achieving her black belt in Taekwondo, she explored a range of other types of martial arts, and she draws upon her experiences in learning new techniques and philosophies to inspire her writing. These days, she continues her martial arts training some mornings, writes in the afternoons, takes long walks to muddle out plot points, and falls asleep reading.
Why A.Y. Chan wrote this book: I started training in taekwondo when I was six and, growing up, I longed to read books about kick-butt girls doing kick-butt things, but there really weren’t as many as I had hoped for. The idea for this book has been percolating in my head ever since. I wish to inspire kids not only to be brave and never give up, but also to be proud of who they are.
My inspiration for my story came from a real city-wide competition, where, like Mo, my protagonist, I faced off against a bigger, stronger boy during the final match. At that time, pairings were determined by belt-level and age, not by weight class. I ended up losing. I remember feeling so crushed by my second-place finish, and I kept replaying the fight in my head, wondering what I could have done differently.
I was also inspired by martial arts movies—especially the stunt actors and body doubles, and the thugs in the background serving as punching bags for the protagonist. As an introvert, I never wanted to be the main character…but to get beat up by the main character? That seemed awesome. After achieving my black belt in Taekwondo, I explored other types of martial arts and came away with an appreciation for the similarities and differences in the different forms, and how each has a unique philosophy linking the physical to the mental (and spiritual). Martial arts is about discipline and practice, but it’s also about respect (for oneself and for others) and integrity. And, of course, indomitable spirit, the all-encompassing light within us all that shines with determination and hope and an unshakable optimism for a brighter tomorrow.
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*The book is actually set in California, but for the purposes of not putting the kid off writing reviews, I left everything as it was originally penned so that Youngest could see their exact words online.
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THE INQUISITIVE NEWT 