The Dreamweavers by G. Z. Schmidt took me by surprise. This un-put-down-able book about two twins with dream magic was such a fun read.

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The summary, from Amazon:

Twin siblings journey through the City of Ashes and visit the Jade Rabbit to save their grandpa in this Chinese folklore-inspired fantasy adventure.

Since their parents’ strange disappearance several years ago, 12-year-old twins Mei and Yun have been raised by their grandfather, who makes the best mooncakes around using a secret ingredient.

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival, the emperor sends his son to sample Grandpa’s renowned mooncakes–but instead of tasting wonderful, they are horrible and bitter, strangely mirroring the odd, gloomy atmosphere and attitudes that have been washing over the village in the last few days. Grandpa is arrested for insulting and harming the prince, and Mei and Yun realize they are the only two people who will come to Grandpa’s aid.

The twins set out on foot for the long journey to the emperor’s palace where Grandpa’s being taken, but a surprising stop in the eerie City of Ashes, a visit with the legendary, mystical Jade Rabbit, and an encounter with a powerful poet whose enchanted words spread curses, influence just how Mei and Yun will manage to clear their grandfather’s name.

Buy The Dreamweavers here.

Mei and Yun’s parents disappeared when they were little. Now they live with their grandfather, who makes magical mooncakes with a secret ingredient. Mei and Yun have always been a little different than the other kids in their town, and see auras at times. When their grandfather is wrongfully arrested for insulting the king’s son, their town is left in a state of total gloom. Mei and Yun must go after him. They venture first to the mysterious ghost town where their parents disappeared, and enlist the help of the mythical Jade Rabbit as well as a disgruntled spirit who seems to be behind everything. Soon, Mei and Yun realize that they have dream magic, as did their grandfather.

This was a really fun read with huge doses of folklore. I loved that Mei and Yun were perfect foils for one another while still having so much in common. I also liked the inclusion of math in this story, which was expanded on in the backmatter. Finally, this quote really stuck with me:

That’s the funny thing about confidence. Your situation, if you look at it, is oftentimes the exact same as before. The only things that have really changed are your own thoughts on the matter.

This was an adventurous 5 star read and I highly recommend it for middle grade readers.