The Lotus Flower Champion

Ages 14 And Up

Squid Games meets Peter Pan with folktales from Thailand in this contemporary thriller with a fantasy twist, featuring a Thai heroine and hero.

Seventeen-year-old Alisara knows one thing for sure: her mama is going to die. She and her family are on vacation in Thailand, the last chance for Mama to find peace before she succumbs to cancer.

Alisara’s final holiday with her mama is interrupted when she’s forced to evacuate a snorkeling cruise. Floating away to safety, Ali watches the boat explode with her father still onboard. Ali passes out on the lifeboat and wakes up on an island. Although beautiful, the fruit on the island is poisonous, no fish swim in the waters, and the lifeboat is gone. She, Mama, and the survivors are all trapped. The survivors journey across the island in search of food, finding a cave with a maze, swirling red waters, crocodiles, and a magic crystal. To save himself from falling to his death, a young boy manifests the arms of a gibbon.

Xander, the boat’s captain, announces that they have all been brought here for a purpose. The island has been outfitted with horrific games and they must participate in them to win rewards that will aid in their survival. With no food, water, or shelter, Alisara has no choice but to win the games to keep Mama alive.

As the survivors compete in the games and are pushed to their emotional limits, their abilities manifest. With the handsome and enigmatic Bodin by her side, Alisara must access her latent power. Her ability is rare, mind-blowing, and downright terrifying — but it just might save them all.

About the Author

Pintip Dunn

A first-generation Thai American, Pintip Dunn grew up in a tiny town in Kansas. She went on to graduate from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. and to receive her J.D. at Yale Law School.

Pintip is a two-time RITA® award winner and a New York Times bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her books have been translated into four languages, and they have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award and a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. pintipdunn.com

Love Dunn

Love Dunn is a high school sophomore at Edmund Burke School in Washington, DC. She has a deep passion for storytelling and has written fourteen manuscripts to date. Her other interests include dance, volleyball, piano, violin, and public speaking. Her favorite activity, however, is cuddling her dog, Strawberry. She frequently engages in writing sprints with her mom — and easily beats Pintip’s word count every time.

THE LOTUS FLOWER CHAMPION is her first novel.