By Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong
An international school move turns into a high-stakes magical mission when a mysterious glass egg hatches a small blue dragon in the heart of Hong Kong.
In The Awakening Storm, author Jaimal Yogis and illustrator Vivian Truong introduce us to Grace, a girl struggling to fit into her new life in Hong Kong after the loss of her father. Her world changes instantly when an elderly woman gives her a mysterious egg that hatches into Nate, a powerful water dragon. Grace and her new friends must protect Nate from dangerous corporate forces while uncovering secrets about her family’s past. This series currently offers three published volumes, providing a solid path for readers who want to stay immersed in this world.
This graphic novel is an excellent pick for students who find long pages of text intimidating or those still mastering English. The language is direct and carries a relatively low decoding demand, yet the themes of grief and relocation feel mature enough for middle-grade students. Vivian Truong’s cinematic, manga-influenced art aids comprehension, allowing students to follow the action and understand character emotions even if they miss a specific word in a speech bubble. Because the art style and the core group of friends remain the same across the books, students don’t have to start from scratch with every new volume. In a classroom, Grace’s move could start a conversation about big life changes or the dragon lore could be used to spark a research project on Chinese mythology.
Total Books in Series: 3 Best Starting Point: The Awakening Storm
