The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon

石獅子金的任務是守護古城大門和神聖寶球，保護人類與靈界的平衡。可是，金覺得這些責任好無聊，他最愛的是練習足球、踢出完美的進球，夢想成為靈界最偉大的球星！沒想到，一次失誤，他把寶球踢出大門，還自己也跟著掉進人類世界，靈界的大門也隨之關上。為了追回寶球、守護兩個世界，金不得不尋求幫助。他遇見一個能聽見神秘聲音的女孩，還有一隻自稱是龍、實際上長得像蟲子的奇怪夥伴。三人踏上一場驚險又有趣的旅程。是一個融合奇幻、幽默與中國傳說的故事。

From award-winning and bestselling author of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Grace Lin comes a gorgeously full-color illustrated story about a lion cub and a girl who must open a portal for the spirits, based on Chinese folklore.

Jin is a Stone Lion—one of the guardians of the Old City Gate who is charged to watch over humans and protect the Sacred Sphere. But to Jin, those boring duties feel like a waste of time.
 
What isn’t a waste of time? Perfecting his zuqiu kick, scoring a Golden Goal, and becoming the most legendary player of all the spirit world.
 
But when Jin’s perfect kick accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere out through the gate, he has no choice but to run after it, tumbling out of the realm he calls home and into the human world as the gate closes behind him.
 
Stuck outside the gate, Jin must find help from unlikely allies, including a girl who can hear a mysterious voice and a worm who claims he is a dragon. Together, they must find the sphere and return it to the world beyond the gate…or risk losing everything.

Award-winning and bestselling author Grace Lin returns with another gorgeously illustrated adventure story about duty, love, and balance—expertly written in the vein of the Newbery Honor winner and modern classic Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Based on Chinese Folklore, this beautiful novel features ten full-page pieces of stunning full-color art, as well as intricate chapter header illustrations.

★ “This book weaves Chinese lore with the modern world, connecting characters and events in a way that demonstrates Lin’s prowess as a storyteller… This fantastical tale of stone spirits, dragons, and humans is an enchanting must-have for any school library.” – School Library Journal, STARRED review 

“As is her style, Lin brings an enormous amount of compassion to each character, even the seemingly villainous or cruel, and readers who enjoyed the imagination and creativeness of her previous award-winning works will be pleased with her latest outing.” – BCCB 

“Lin’s cool-toned, full-color illustrations bring the story's atmospheric settings to life. Just as the Sacred Sphere is woven of many threads, the legends Lin combines create a fulfilling hero’s-journey narrative through Jin.” – Booklist 

“While the plot twists follow familiar fantasy tropes, the original worldbuilding and epic lore, both of which include fantastical elements drawn from or inspired by Chinese folklore, will engage and excite young readers.” – Kirkus Reviews