The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y. Chan

The Legendary Mo Seto

I received a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

A fast-paced, high-kicking debut that’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets Stand Up, Yumi Chung as a young taekwondo artist uses an ancient book to help save her dreams—and her father.

Twelve-year-old Modesty “Mo” Seto dreams of being a taekwondo champion. Even though her mom disapproves, Mo can always count on her dad, who is her number one fan and biggest supporter. Lately, Mo has been on a losing streak, and it doesn’t help that she keeps losing to her archnemesis, Dax, who’s much bigger than her. If only she were faster, stronger, not so petite. Mo can’t even lean on her dad like usual with how distracted he’s been lately.

When Mo learns about the chance to audition to star alongside her idol and legendary martial artist and movie star Cody Kwok, she knows this her chance to prove to her dad, to the world, and to herself that she can compete with anyone, no matter her size. Unfortunately, Dax is auditioning, too. As Mo and her nemesis progress to callbacks, someone attempts to sabotage the movie set and Mo’s dad disappears—and both events seem linked to a mysterious book, the Book of Joy.
The book contains information on a secret dance-like martial art developed by Mo’s ancestral grandmother. Armed with these powerful moves and an unexpected ally, Mo embarks on a high-octane adventure to rescue her father, save the movie, and discover an unexpected joy in being small.

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• A strong, young female lead who’s not just into sports but martial arts
• Lots of martial arts rep
• An adorable crush between friends
• Super cute family bonds (that aren’t without their own struggles)
• Chinese mythology, culture, and representation

I received a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Overall

I knew from the moment I saw this cover that I wanted to read this book! It’s rare to find middle grade books focused on sports with female protagonists to start with. But books about martial arts with a female protagonist? Even rarer! So obviously, I couldn’t wait to meet Mo Seto.

The Legendary Mo Seto is a whirlwind of a middle grade book focused on martial arts, showing that big surprises can come in small packages, and sports have a way of bringing everyone together.

There was so much to love about this book, from the at times fraught (but wholly realistic) struggles between Mo and her mother, to the complicated history we all sometimes inherit from our family, to the idea that you can be good at something by looking at it from a new perspective. There were moments that felt a bit forced and shoehorned in order to keep the story moving forward, but by and large, once the action gets going, it doesn’t let up! This one’s sure to be a hit amongst middle graders who enjoy sports and action.

My Thoughts

Modesty Seto is too small to be a martial artist, according to everyone else, but when her favorite martial artist movie star puts out open additions for a sidekick in his upcoming film, nothing will stand in her way from getting the role.

Literally nothing. This child is small but fierce, which is part of what I loved about her. Sometimes great things come in small packages (which just happens to be a big theme of this book). Mo would do literally anything for the chance to audition. Including lying about her height (though the way she does this is completely illogical and frustrated me a little), lying to her mother (by omission), lying to other adults, and taking some pretty big risks. But hey, no one said Mo was necessarily a role model. She’s just your average tween girl . . . with kind of an awesome family background.

Mo is big into the martial arts scene. Despite being a predominantly male sport, Mo excels in it. Or she did. Now that her and her peers are getting older—and specifically, the boys are hitting puberty—Mo is having trouble keeping up with her larger opponents. It all seems hopeless, until Mo learns of an ancient story about her ancestor, who was a small, fierce woman who combined dance with martial arts to outsmart and outmaneuver her larger foes. Because sometimes being small can be a great advantage. You know, as long as you don’t need to reach top shelves and see over other people (speaking from experience, of course).

Mo is struggling with a lot more than action movies and martial arts. Namely, parents. Like everyone t(w)een to ever exist.

This was easily one of my favorite parts of this book. Being a tween is hard in and of itself. It’s such a strange, awkward age, made worse by the fact that many tweens convince themselves that their parents do not and will never understand them or what they’re going through. This is pretty much a Universal Truth™. Mo is suffering from an awful lot of parental woe, as her father is missing in action, despite their closeness and his normal support for her martial arts endeavors. And her mother, who is remarkably less supportive of her martial arts, will simply never understand her.

Except, of course, those parents amongst us know this isn’t the case. Parents bring their own baggage to the parent/child relationship. I absolutely love the way The Legendary Mo Seto examines this relationship, as Mo and her mother face both very different emotional challenges as well as very similar ones. After all, Mo isn’t the only one suffering from her father’s absence. And, as it turns out, her mother may just be a relatable human being after all.

Mo also has her fair share of sidekicks, including her best friend, Nacho, and her adopted grandfather, Gramps, both of whom are extremely supportive. Maybe sometimes too much so.

Let’s start with Nacho, who is your typical best friend character. He’s utterly supportive and always there for Mo, even at random unsavory hours of the night/early morning. Obviously, he’s the epitome of an amazing friend . . . and eventually, Mo needs to grapple with the realization that she’s been a less-than-best friend in return, which is an important reminder for middle grade readers. Friendship goes both ways!

There’s also, I admit, a bit of a budding romance shoehorned into Mo and Nacho’s story, which felt . . . realistic but forced? This story didn’t need a romantic subplot. (Though, to be fair, I tend to argue that most stories don’t need a romantic subplot. But this one especially so!)

Then there’s Gramps. Gramps is technically Nacho’s grandfather, but being that the two have been best friends for so long, Mo has become his honorary granddaughter. Gramps is the sort of older relative everyone needs in their life. He’s very human; right from the get-go, the reader learns of his mourning for Grams, and the story makes room for that sadness. However, his story doesn’t end there. Not even close. Gramps is definitely my kind of person: the sort that sees his grandkids are up to shenanigans and decides to tag along because someone has to chaperone them and make sure they don’t get hurt. At least, that’s what he tells himself!

The Legendary Mo Seto walks a very fine line between fast-paced martial arts action story, crime mystery, and heartwarming contemporary.

In other words, the book packs a punch. (See what I did there?! Sorry, I’ll see myself out.) There’s the open call for actors for an upcoming action movie, the learning of martial arts and reiteration that size matters less if you fight smart, the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Mo’s father, and the lingering idea that “no harm ever came from reading a book.” (Except The Mummy taught us all better long ago.)

The book’s action carries the plot through, but the emotional aspects of growing up and healing pain aren’t lost at the same time. And okay, sure, Mo Seto makes mistakes along the way (lying, hiding things from her mother, putting herself in dangerous situations), buuuuut . . . what child doesn’t do those things? Pffft, I sure did. And I didn’t have the chance to be in a movie! My reasons were waaaaay lamer.

About A.Y. Chan

A. Y. Chan grew up in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area reading all the middle grade and young adult books she could get her hands on. To this day, those remain her favorite genres. After achieving her black belt in Taekwondo, she explored other martial arts, such as Wing Chun, Hapkido, and Muay Thai. 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.

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