Zachary Ying has never learned about his Chinese heritage. So when he’s chosen to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission, he is woefully unprepared. As a result, the Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack’s body and binds to his AR gaming headset instead.
Now, with the legendary tyrant yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to steal magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth. Meanwhile, demons have taken Zack’s mum’s soul. Using his newfound water dragon powers, can Zack save both his mum and the mortal world?

Xiran Jay Zhao is the #1 bestselling author of the Iron Widow duology. A first-gen Hui Chinese immigrant from small-town China to Vancouver, Canada, they were raised by the internet and made the inexplicable decision to leave their biochem degree in the dust to write books and make educational content instead. You can find them @XiranJayZhao on Twitter for memes, Instagram for cosplays and fancy outfits, TikTok for fun short videos, and YouTube for long videos about Chinese history and culture. Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is their first middle grade novel.