The Magic Paintbrush: The Guardian's Quest - by Kat Zhang & Eric Darnell

About the Book

"Eleven-year-old Amy's malfunctioning paintbrush accidentally paints a portal to a mythical world, but when she discovers that the paintbrush is running out of power, she must undergo a Trial to prove her worth as the guardian of the magic paintbrush"--

Book Synopsis

In the second book of this epic fantasy series, eleven year old Amy's malfunctioning paintbrush accidentally paints a portal to a mythical world! Amy must undergo a Trial to prove her worth as the guardian of the magic paintbrush before it loses its power.

"Gorgeous and gripping, The Magic Paintbrush swoops readers off on rip-roaring fantasy adventure..." Soman Chainani, author of THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL series

Ever since she became the guardian of the magic paintbrush, Amy has been painting nonstop. But now the paintbrush is glitching, and Amy's paintings disappear one by one. Things only get stranger when the brush paints a portal to a fantastical world filled with magical creatures and she discovers that the power of the magic paintbrush is dwindling.

Amy's new quest: to prove that she truly deserves to be the paintbrush's guardian. If she doesn't, the paintbrush will lose its abilities forever!

Award-winning author Kat Zhang teams up with Eric Darnell, the writer and director of the Madagascar movies and the chief creative officer of Baobab Studios, on this story about responsibility, the power of friendship, and what it means to be worthy.

Review Quotes

"A heartwarming story with a healthy dose of action and danger....Magic, wonder, and the power of creation combine in this tale of trials and rewards." --Kirkus Reviews

"The straightforward plot with steady pacing will appeal to reluctant readers who enjoy fantasy, and the incorporation of Chinese folklore will hook those with a mythology bent." --Booklist

About the Author

Kat Zhang loves traveling to places both real and fictional--the former have better souvenirs, but the latter allow for dragons, so it's a tough pick! She wrote the young-adult series The Hybrid Chronicles; the middle-grade novels The Magic Paintbrush, The Emperor's Riddle, and The Memory of Forgotten Things; and the Amy Wu picture book series. Like Amy, Kat can't wait to see what new adventures await with the magic paintbrush!

Eric Darnell is the chief creative officer and cofounder of Baobab Studios, the world's leading independent interactive animation studio. Under Eric's leadership, Baobab Studios has won ten Emmy Awards, three Annie Awards, and the first SIGGRAPH Immersive Experience Best in Show. Eric's career spans 25 years, and he was the director and screenwriter on all four films in the Madagascar franchise and an executive producer on The Penguins of Madagascar. Discovering the unexpected facets of his grandfather's life gave Eric insight into his own life and inspired him to develop the original story behind The Magic Paintbrush.

Phoebe Zhong is a character designer, visual developmental artist, and illustrator of the Magic Paintbrush series. She graduated from the character animation program at CalArts.