1826. The sun is setting on the golden age of piracy, and the legendary Dragon Fleet, the scourge of the South China Sea, is no more. Its ruthless leader, a woman known only as the Head of the Dragon, is now only a story, like the ones Xiang has grown up with all her life. She desperately wants to prove her worth, especially to her mother, a shrewd businesswoman who never seems to have enough time for Xiang. Her father is also only a story, dead at sea before Xiang was born. Her single memento of him is a pendant she always wears, a simple but plain piece of gold jewelry.

But the pendant’s true nature is revealed when a mysterious girl named Anh steals it, only to return it to Xiang in exchange for her help in decoding the tiny map scroll hidden inside. The revelation that Xiang’s father sailed with the Dragon Fleet and tucked away this secret changes everything. Rumor has it that the legendary Head of the Dragon had one last treasure—the plunder of a thousand ports—that for decades has only been a myth, a fool’s journey.

Xiang is convinced this map could lead to the fabled treasure. Captivated with the thrill of adventure, she joins Anh and her motley crew off in pursuit of the island. But the girls soon find that the sea—and especially those who sail it—are far more dangerous than the legends led them to believe.

Today’s Book of The Day is sponsored by this week’s Kids’ eBook of The Week:

Find out why ZIN was seen on CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS! Clutching a cryptic note from his dying dad, the brilliant 11 yr-old chef Zin Mignon is kidnapped by the mysterious Mustard Monks! The saga of a culinary mastermind and his insatiable mom. Join Zin as he strives to learn his shocking family legacy. Twisting fun for all, including kids who cook. Zin lives at the crossroad of Humor and Inspiration.

11 year-old genius Chef Zin Mignon is in a horrific pickle. He’s been kidnapped from Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and spirited away to the Monks’ ultra-remote mountaintop abbey. There, he’ll endure a cooking apprenticeship like no other. Does Zin join their secret Order and achieve the culinary success he’s always dreamed of?
The tale of Zin Mignon begins at the bottom of a jar of pickled pigs’ feet in his father’s pathetic Brooklyn deli. A secret note sets him on a world-spinning quest, an adventure that takes him through the alleys of the homeless to the tables of billionaires, to discover who he really is and the greatness for which he’s destined. As he sets the culinary world on fire, a mix of treacherous rivals feasts on the chance to make his dreams go up in smoke.
In the wildly appetizing first book of the Zin Mignon series, Zin has become the greatest chef on the planet, shocking the cooking world. But he’s distracted and must honor the solemn promise he made to his dad, and to learn the incredible secret of his family legacy. It’s a true original. With humor, amazing exploits and heartfelt compassion, Zin uses food and his kitchen to build a recipe that will lead him to his true identity. Can he cut the mustard?

Could Artemis Fowl meet MasterChef? Author MICHAEL DASWICK is the winner of both of Columbia’s prestigious literary awards for fiction. He’s the author of the gripping epic novel CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART, and HALLBOYS, a collection of inspiring connected short stories. Always mixing humor and drama, friends and treacherous rivals, with ZIN MIGNON, Michael has cooked up a stirring series of Kitchen Fiction