Longlisted for the Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2016
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Lion dancers are the new sensations in Asia, and none are as charming or handsome as US import Ricky Ang. But while the rest of the Leopop boys aspire to be the lion head, Ricky would rather goof around as the big head doll.
Ironically, drummer girl Ong Ying Ying is the biggest cynic of this Leopop wave. “Don’t fall for a lion dancer,” her mother had always warned her. “He will break your heart.”
“With deft pen strokes, Pauline has made lion dance as enticing and trendy as K-pop. The novel is a page-turner packed with all the right elements: the handsome lion dance boys with their screaming hordes of teenage fans, the budding romance of a lion boy and a drummer girl, and the pulsating action of lion dances and old feuds. I cannot wait to see all the eye candy in the movie version!”
—Emily Lim, award-winning author and Mediacorp’s Singapore Woman Award Honoree 2013
“Lion Boy and Drummer Girl truly captures the essence of being young and in love. With the backdrop of the rich culture of Singapore and fascinating history of lion dance, the author spins a compelling story of two teens in the glitzy world of the idol industry. The book is will have readers hooked from the first sentence to the last.”
—Evangelique Poh, 20, avid reader and fiction lover
“Pauline and I are critique partners, and we had heady days giggling over ‘bare torsos’ and ‘taut muscles’ as we appraised each other’s stories. Lion Boy and Drummer Girl is almost like my own book! I am totally rooting for Ricky and Ying Ying.”
—Catherine Carvell, Australian author of the Darcy Moon series and Former Regional Coordinator for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (Singapore)
Pauline Loh is an award-winning author of several non-fiction and children's titles, including Lion boys and Fan Girls. She is a winner of the First Time Writers and Illustrators Publishing Initiative 2009 and first runner-up for the Scholastic Asian Book Award 2012. Her books have been shortlisted for the Hedwig Anuar Book Award 2015, the Samsung KidsTime Author’s Award 2015 and the Singapore Book Awards 2016. A former journalist, she is also the director of Women Empowered for Work and Mothering and an ambassador of Singapore Memory Project. She graduated from Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, Raffles Junior College and National University of Singapore.
