"It's Hermione Granger meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets the Ice Capades meets Mean Girls." -The New York Times
"Takes on weighty and relevant questions of gender, ability, leadership, immigration... with intelligence, deftness and precision." -Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Now in her Second Year at Pearl Famous Academy of Skate and Sword, Peasprout Chen strives to reclaim her place as a champion of wu liu, the sport of martial arts figure skating. But, with the new year comes new competition, and Peasprout's dreams are thwarted by an impressive transfer student.
Yinmei is the heir to the Shinian throne and has fled her country for Pearl. When she excels both academically and socially, Peasprout begins to suspect that Yinmei is not a refugee at all but a spy. When the Empress of Shin threatens to invade the city of Pearl, Peasprout makes a bold decision. To keep her enemy close, Peasprout joins Yinmei's "battleband," a team that executes elaborate skating configurations that are part musical spectacle, part defensive attack.
In Henry Lien's Peasprout Chen: Battle of Champions, Peasprout guides her battleband on a mission to save Pearl, and learns what it truly means to be a leader.