Defying Times: Stories for Teens and Young Adults

Chapter 7. The Mighty Yellow River Inspired by the ancient Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms,  Empire in Flames: The Legend of Three Brothers  stays faithful to the original classic while vividly reimagining the legendary tale for modern English readers and listeners. Crafted for today’s teens and young adults, the story brings timeless themes of courage, adventure, loyalty, and strate...

Chapter 2. Venmo, Banking, and Invisible Ledgers On the streets of New York City, Asher notices a homeless man holding a sign that says he accepts Venmo. Confused and curious, Asher begins asking questions about how money works in a world where cash is disappearing. What follows is an eye-opening conversation about banks, digital payments, invisible ledgers, and the giant systems quietly tracking...

Chapter 4. Treasure Hunt in Old Seoul As summer break begins, Asher boards a flight to Seoul with his parents and unexpectedly sits next to Jia — a clever and kind girl who shares insider tips about where to find interesting artifacts in the old part of Seoul. But while watching the grand changing of the royal guards ceremony at Gwanghwamun Gate, Asher catches sight of a strange black-and-white ca...

Chapter 6. Heaven's Command Inspired by the ancient Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms,  Empire in Flames: The Legend of Three Brothers  stays faithful to the original classic while vividly reimagining the legendary tale for modern English readers and listeners. Crafted for today’s teens and young adults, the story brings timeless themes of courage, adventure, loyalty, and strategy...

Chapter 1. Robux, Bitcoin, and Fool's Gold Asher loses his hard-earned Robux—and starts asking a bigger question: what is money, really? A story about value, trust, and what makes something "money".

Chapter 3. The Watchers of The Edge Follow the link below to order print or digital books from Amazon: ⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/Young-Guardians-Circle-Treasure-Hunters/dp/B0F8VMGJ31/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QG0L0I7POTI9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sK_HYuCzHRs3jxW1ThEUwfUILjWrKtRf-v0QvGHNEtqB3MaW4rMVOTSKjJjb-ftAejOmoagQcJo2FOksRDsV86jqMxIhbGN3D9V-nvTDm8PXodpGC0idoS_LcHlXd781CTc-vMhlIsUitzaPF33t1toJ8yYGszDhj2Fel1c...

Chapter 5. The Golden Empire Crumbles Inspired by the ancient Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms,  Empire in Flames: The Legend of Three Brothers  stays faithful to the original classic while vividly reimagining the legendary tale for modern English readers and listeners. Crafted for today’s teens and young adults, the story brings timeless themes of courage, adventure, loyalty, and str...

Chapter 4. The Family Heirloom Inspired by the ancient Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms,  Empire in Flames: The Legend of Three Brothers  stays faithful to the original classic while vividly reimagining the legendary tale for modern English readers and listeners. Crafted for today’s teens and young adults, the story brings timeless themes of courage, adventure, loyalty, and strategy t...

This episode introduces  A Young New Yorker’s Guide to Money  (working title)—a story-driven, real-world exploration of how young people think about, experience, and learn money in today’s fast-moving world. Set against the backdrop of New York City, the series bridges everyday curiosity with deeper financial understanding, inviting teens, parents, and curious listeners everywhere into an ongoing...

Chapter 2. A Mysterious Cat in Athens Follow the link below to order print or digital books from Amazon: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Young-Guardians-Circle-Treasure-Hunters/dp/B0F8VMGJ31/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QG0L0I7POTI9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sK_HYuCzHRs3jxW1ThEUwfUILjWrKtRf-v0QvGHNEtqB3MaW4rMVOTSKjJjb-ftAejOmoagQcJo2FOksRDsV86jqMxIhbGN3D9V-nvTDm8PXodpGC0idoS_LcHlXd781CTc-vMhlIsUitzaPF33t1toJ8yYGszDhj2Fel1...

Chapter 3. The Mysterious Monk Inspired by the ancient Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms,  Empire in Flames: The Legend of Three Brothers  stays faithful to the original classic while vividly reimagining the legendary tale for modern English readers and listeners. Crafted for today’s teens and young adults, the story brings timeless themes of courage, adventure, loyalty, and strategy t...

Chapter 1. The Young New Yorker Follow the link below to order print or digital books from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Young-Guardians-Circle-Treasure-Hunters/dp/B0F8VMGJ31/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QG0L0I7POTI9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sK_HYuCzHRs3jxW1ThEUwfUILjWrKtRf-v0QvGHNEtqB3MaW4rMVOTSKjJjb-ftAejOmoagQcJo2FOksRDsV86jqMxIhbGN3D9V-nvTDm8PXodpGC0idoS_LcHlXd781CTc-vMhlIsUitzaPF33t1toJ8yYGszDhj2Fel1cra8Yip...

Step into the world of  Young Guardians’ Circle: Treasure Hunters in New York , the first book of the Guardians’ Circle Trilogy—where mystery, adventure, and imagination collide in the heart of New York City. This episode marks the official launch of the  Young Guardians’ Circle  audiobook. Each chapter will be released weekly as part of this podcast, leading up to the full-length unabridged audio...

Chapter 2. Pavilion on the Mulberry Tree Inspired by the ancient Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms,  Empire in Flames: The Legend of Three Brothers  stays faithful to the original classic while vividly reimagining the legendary tale for modern English readers and listeners. Crafted for today’s teens and young adults, the story brings timeless themes of courage, adventure, loyalty, and...

Chapter 1. The Palace of Shadows Inspired by the ancient Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms,  Empire in Flames: The Legend of Three Brothers  stays faithful to the original classic while vividly reimagining the legendary tale for modern English readers and listeners. Crafted for today’s teens and young adults, the story brings timeless themes of courage, adventure, loyalty, and strategy...

This episode introduces to the audience "Empire in Flames: The Legend of Three Brothers", Book 1 of The Three Kingdoms series. Inspired by the ancient Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms,  Empire in Flames: The Legend of Three Brothers  stays faithful to the original classic while vividly reimagining the legendary tale for modern English readers and listeners. Crafted for today...

Welcome to Defying Times: Stories for Teens & Young Adults—a storytelling podcast from Mentor NYC, an independent content creator and publishing studio based in New York City. At Mentor NYC, we create timeless stories, books, and immersive audio experiences for teens and young adults—blending culture, history, and modern ideas to inspire how the next generation thinks, learns, and grows. Each...