An enchanting fantasy about finding the confidence to take up space in the world.
A lonely girl must find her way out of the underworld and back home.
It’s Obon, a holiday for celebrating ancestors, but Anzu is feeling miserable. Her family just moved, and when a neighbor child tries to befriend her, she becomes angry and self-conscious and runs away, reminded of the girls who used to tease her about her Japanese name. A stray dog appears, jumping up and snatching the special necklace that belonged to her late grandmother from around Anzu’s neck. While pursuing the dog, Anzu falls and loses consciousness, waking up in Yomi. The dog, who’s the Gatekeeper of this Shinto underworld, tells her to leave, but Anzu doesn’t know how. Izanami no Mikoto, Queen of Yomi, offers to guide her—after Anzu joins her Obon banquet. But Anzu winds up cursed and bound to remain. Together with the Gatekeeper, whose role is to “guide souls to their destined realm,” Anzu must save the lost souls of children kidnapped by Izanami and find her way home before sunrise marks the end of Obon. Colored in muted green, orange, and purple, this beautifully illustrated work is full of magic as it follows Anzu’s journey of self-discovery after experiencing bullying, grief, and isolation. The fascinating and original spirit world is inspired by Nguyen’s family’s mix of Vietnamese and Japanese cultures and elements of Shintoism and Buddhism.
An enchanting fantasy about finding the confidence to take up space in the world. (author’s note, guide to Japanese folklore) (Graphic fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780593525272
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
More hijinks-filled adventure than mystery, this is sure to win an audience.
Ben Silverstein’s summer with Grandpa is about to go wild.
When his parents need to “work out some troubles,” 10-year-old Ben gets shipped off to tiny Buttonville, where everything seems to be closed or out of business since the button factory was shuttered years ago. Ben’s used to spending summers in the pool in his Los Angeles backyard with his friends, and Buttonville looks positively coma-inducing. When Grandpa’s mouser Barnaby deposits what has to be a baby dragon on Ben’s bed, Ben and his new friend Pearl (whom the whole town calls “troublemaker” on account of a few innocent incidents) decide to visit the new “worm doctor” who has moved into the abandoned button factory. (Ben had heard her strange assistant Mr. Tabby buying ingredients for “dragon’s milk” at the grocery....) When their visit unleashes a hairy, pudding-loving imaginary beast on the town of Buttonville, Ben and Pearl volunteer to catch him. Selfors kicks off her Imaginary Veterinary series with a solid, entertaining opener. Ben and Pearl are Everykids that readers will relate to, and the adults of Buttonville are often delightfully weird and clueless. Twenty-five pages of backmatter include information on wyverns and sasquatch as well as the science of reptiles and a pudding recipe.
More hijinks-filled adventure than mystery, this is sure to win an audience. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: April 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-316-20934-2
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
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