Young readers interested in Japanese traditions and history will find much to enjoy in this simple fantasy tale.
Two magical children go on an adventure to determine their fate in Youmans’ (The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy, 2014) sequel to her historical fable set in post-feudal Japan.
With their parents gone, the bird-children Azuki and Shota need to find their way home, so Yuta the monk provides them refuge as they plan their travels. There are battles to consider—soldiers want to kidnap Azuki for her feathers, but she and Shota need to reach Lady Satsuki and prove they’re still alive. While hiding from enemies, Azuki discovers that their land is streaked with coal, something that foreigners have been looking for. They set off to tell Lady Satsuki this valuable news, with Shota disguised as a sparrow and Azuki disguised as young, male student of Yuta. No sooner has their journey begun than they’re attacked by creatures called the Tengu, who believe that Azuki belongs to them. Once thwarted, they swear to return with their monstrous master, a Dai-Tengu. The three travelers continue, helped along the way by a village of kind social outcasts, Shota’s Dragon Princess friend, telepathic horses, and the return of a lost fortune. It may be hard for readers to keep up with all the characters and plotlines in the beginning of this book, although things even out by the time Yuta, Azuki, and Shota reach their destination. When they finally meet with Lady Satsuki, Yuta reveals a secret that will change the bird-children’s lives. Armed with this good news, they begin their return to their homeland only to be met by the Dai-Tengu. The magic from the friends they’ve made along the way will help lead them safely home once and for all. Peppered with Japanese vocabulary and traditions, this story provides a fantastical but engaging portrait of that country. These details manage to be educational without interrupting the story’s flow. Although the previous book was grounded in Shota’s search for Azuki, it takes longer for momentum to develop in this one, as the point of conflict is always changing—soldiers, the Tengu, a nebulous yearning to find their way home. Shota and Azuki’s sibling relationship offers some moments of humor and reflects a sense of love and teasing that many real-life siblings will recognize. Ultimately, the story’s uplifting conclusion makes this historical tale memorable.
Young readers interested in Japanese traditions and history will find much to enjoy in this simple fantasy tale.Pub Date: July 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5143-8070-3
Page Count: 200
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 30, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Taking a page from Avi’s The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (1990), Kehret (I’m Not Who You Think I Am, p. 223, etc.) pens a similar story of a girl who goes to sea. Determined not to be separated from her seriously ill mother, Emma, 12, embarks on a plan that results in the adventure of a lifetime. Sent to live with Aunt Martha and her arrogant son, Odolf, Emma carefully plots her escape. Disguising herself in her cousin’s used clothes, she sneaks out while the household slumbers and stows away on what she believes to be a ship carrying her parents from England to the warmer climate of France. Instead, the ship is the evil, ill-fated Black Lightning, under the command of the notorious Captain Beacon. Emma finds herself sharing quarters with a crew of filthy, surly, dangerous men. When a fierce storm swamps the ship, Emma desperately seizes her chance to escape, drifting for several days and nights aboard a hatch cover and finally carried to land somewhere on the coast of Africa. Hungry, thirsty, and alone, Emma faces the daunting prospect of slow starvation, but survives due to a relationship she builds with a band of chimpanzees. This page-turning adventure story shows evidence of solid research and experienced plotting—the pacing is breathless. Kehret paints a starkly realistic portrait, complete with sounds and smells of the difficult and unpleasant life aboard ship. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-671-03416-2
Page Count: 138
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
PLB 0-531-33140-7 Ketcham’s first book is based on an allegedly true story of a childhood incident in the life of Johann Sebastian Bach. It starts with a couple of pages regaling the Bach home and all the Johanns in the family, who made their fame through music. After his father’s death, Johann Sebastian goes to live with his brother, Johann Christoph, where he boasts that he is the best organist in the world. Johann Christoph contradicts him: “Old Adam Reincken is the best.” So Johann Sebastian sets out to hear the master himself. In fact, he is humbled to tears, but there is hope that he will be the world’s best organist one day. Johann Sebastian emerges as little more than a brat, Reincken as more of a suggestion than a character. Bush’s illustrations are most transporting when offering details of the landscape, but his protagonist is too impish to give the story much authority. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-531-30140-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
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