TAS Teacher Publishes “The Phoenix and the Firebird,” a Middle Grade Fantasy Novel

On January 14, Alexis Kossiakoff, currently a PreK-8 Multi-Lingual Learner Specialist at TAS, and her husband, Scott Crawford, gave a book talk to the TAS community on their new novel “The Phoenix and the Firebird” in the Mandarin library.

“The Phoenix and the Firebird” is a middle-grade history fantasy novel set in 1920s China that interweaves Chinese and Russian folklore to tell a story focused on family, friendship, and magic. The plot revolves around a 12-year-old Russian refugee named Lucy and her best friend, Su, a Chinese girl, and their journey to rescue Lucy’s father, who was kidnapped in Beijing by an evil warlord named “The Taotie.”

At the library talk, Alexis and Scott shared with the TAS community their personal ties and passions about Russian and Chinese folklore and history. Alexis’ family history traces back to Russia before the 1920s, and she told the story of how her Russian family ended up in China in the early 20^th century. Scott, a published author, shared more about his personal research and books, most of which are novels inspired by ancient Chinese history. He also went into more detail on the history of the warlords in China and the mythological creature, the Taotie, both of which feature heavily in the novel.

Alexis and Scott’s presentation covered not only their research process and inspirations for the novel, but they also read a couple of excerpts from the novel for the audience. The talk concluded with a Q+A session where the community asked questions to the couple, such as how they adapted their passion and expertise on history to cater to a middle-grade reader.

A community member asked Alexis how the book reflects the TAS values and Schoolwide Learning Outcomes, and she focused on how the characters, like our students, use their values and skills to respond to the challenges they face: “Resilience lies at the core of The Phoenix and the Firebird. The characters’ identities are formed through their responses to adversity, reflecting a universal struggle that, while experienced differently, connects people across cultures and continents.”

Taipei American School is thrilled to have such talented and passionate faculty who share their lifelong learning and continuous creativity with the community.

Watch the full recording of Alexis' talk here.