Graphic Novel Review: Lion Dancers by Cai Tse

Posted on September 16, 2025 at 6:59 am by Gene Ambaum

Lion Dancers by Cai Tse. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024. 9781665927739. 299pp. including a note from the creator at the end.

The book opens two years ago at the Twelfth Asian International Lion Dance Championships, where the Black Lion Dance Team performed a spectacular leap to defend their title. Wei was in the crowd with his grandmother, and he wanted to fly as part of a lion dance team, just like his dad. But two years later, in middle school, Wei is a different kid. His father died, and he’s living with his grandma. Sports are not his thing. A boy named Hung and his friends seem dedicated to making Wei’s life miserable.

Then Wei runs into someone from a lion dancer team and asks to join. But when he shows up for practice, Hung is there. Hung starts screaming that Wei is not allowed to join. Other team members welcome Wei, though. And as he starts practicing with the team, he remembers when he and Hung trained together with their fathers, and Hung was his tail. The rest of the book is about them learning to endure one anothers’ presence, and then of course (minor spoiler) to work together as a team again.

I loved how upbeat this book is despite Hung’s terrible attitude. Plus Tse taught me a lot about how tough it is to be a lion dancer; in Seattle, I’ve seen my share of performances over the years, but I never really understood the strength and coordination required.