07/31/2023
Kashiwaba (Temple Alley Summer) reimagines sometimes frighteningly depicted creatures from Japanese folklore as friendly allies to a magical grandmother in this fanciful tale. Three strangers arrive separately to Kitsunezaki, a small coastal village, hours before the 2011 To¯hoku earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. At a shelter following the events, Kiwa Yamana, an endearing 87-year-old whom everyone calls Oba¯chan, seemingly mistakes a young woman and an orphaned child as her daughter-in-law and granddaughter. The woman, having escaped from her physically abusive husband in Tokyo, and the silent youth are gratefully swept up by Oba¯chan’s care. The trio move into an old thatch-roofed house that has been fixed up by Oba¯chan’s mystical friends. When unexplained incidents result in injured animals throughout Kitsunezaki, Oba¯chan’s companions—which include kappa river spirits and Jizo¯ guardian statues—help the little family find the source: a Shinto shrine was destroyed by the tsunami, and the evil sea snake it had sealed away now threatens the village. Kashiwaba’s moody work teems with ambient wonder and grim portent, offering glimpses of darkness without overwhelming the narrative’s uplifting tone. All characters are Japanese. Ages 8–13. (Sept.)
The tender emotions following collective trauma are skillfully blended with the riveting supernatural action. . . . A powerful story of healing.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“This heartfelt novel by a popular Japanese children’s author . . . centers found family, weaving folklore, and magic into a tale of healing in the wake of natural disaster.” —Kirkus Reviews’ 10 Essential Middle-Grade Books for Fall 2023
“Kashiwaba’s moody work teems with ambient wonder and grim portent, offering glimpses of darkness without overwhelming the narrative’s uplifting tone.” —Publishers Weekly
“In this lightly magical novel, three women from different generations are brought together in the aftermath of the Tōhuku earthquake and tsunami: an orphaned girl, a woman fleeing an abusive marriage, and an elderly grandmother with no immediate family. The story unfolds in flowing language, and the black-and-white drawings sweetly accompany the mystical tale. Hiyori’s desire to find her voice and save her new family unfolds beautifully and will be treasured by many. Kashiwaba’s novel was originally published in serialized form in 2014, with an anime film adaptation in 2021 commemorating the 10th anniversary of the tragedy; this English translation will reach even more young fans of Japanese fantasy and found-family stories.” —Michele Shaw, School Library Journal
“Kashiwaba has a knack for world-building that seamlessly fuses the real with the fantastical. She gently guides readers through difficult subjects like trauma, death, and grief while offering a healthy dose of humor and hope. Avery Fischer Udagawa’s lucid English translation and Yukiko Saito’s charming black and white illustrations all help to make this beautiful, moving tale accessible to a global readership.” — Kelly Zhang, Words Without Borders
"Think Diana Wynne Jones . . . but with a firm grip on storytelling and Japanese folklore, interspersed with contemporary mystery fiction . . . it is a powerful combination." — GeekDad
“A must read for fans of disasters, magical creatures, found families, and Studio Ghibli films.” —Kristen Harvey, Mrs. Harvey’s Library
“The House of the Lost on the Cape is a layered, heart-gripping story with characters that you cannot help but feel so much for. We are so lucky to have this, and Obāchan’s stories, with us.” — Denise Tan, Closetful of Books (Singapore)
"Folktales, fantasy, and reality collide in this magical and powerful story." —Paula Holmes, World Kid Lit
“Udagawa left a huge number of Japanese words and cultural references in her translation and explained them with stealth glosses. . . . The technique provides a lot of information about Japan in general and life in the Tohoku region in particular and about Japanese folklore—it’s part of what I liked best about the book.” —Alison Fincher, Read Japanese Literature
“This magical found-family fantasy is nourishment for readers of all ages. It's a story of healing for the characters, yes—but also the sort of book that heals the reader, too.” —Marcia Lynx Qualey, translator of Wild Poppies by Haya Saleh
“Kashiwaba’s story focuses on a determined female trio who choose to create new lives for themselves in a town decimated by the tsunami, but still full of acceptance and resilience—both human and supernatural. An engaging read, ultra-smooth translation, illustrations that neatly set the scenes, and plenty to learn about life in a Japanese village.” —Deborah Iwabuchi, SCBWI Japan Translation Group
11/10/2023
Gr 3–7—On March 3, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck near the coast of Tohuku, Japan, causing a subsequent tsunami; over 20,000 people died. In this lightly magical novel, three women from different generations are brought together in the aftermath: an orphaned girl, a woman fleeing an abusive marriage, and an elderly grandmother with no immediate family. The three women, with new names, decide to live together, posing as Grandmother, Mother, and Daughter, each wanting to escape something of their past. The young girl, Hiyori, is mute after experiencing trauma, and Yui lives in fear of her husband finding her. Elderly Obachan protects them in the old house on the cape, and tells them folktales of a "lost house" that can move and feed its inhabitants. When something mysterious begins attacking pets, including their cat, Kafuku, it appears Obachan's stories may be more than folktales, and a terrible sea snake may destroy their town of Kitsunezaki. The sea snake, Agame, is said to feed on dark thoughts, feasting on the inhabitants' survivor's guilt and grief. Yui, Hiyori, and Obachan receive help from river spirits, lion-dogs, and flying guardian statues in their quest to save the town, and ultimately, themselves. The story unfolds in flowing language, and the black-and-white drawings sweetly accompany the mystical tale. Hiyori's desire to find her voice and save her new family unfolds beautifully and will be treasured by many. VERDICT Kashiwaba's novel was originally published as short stories in 2014, with an anime film adaptation in 2021 commemorating the 10th anniversary of the tragedy; this English translation will reach even more young fans of Japanese fantasy and found-family stories.—Michele Shaw
Nanako Vera Mizushima strikes just the right notes in her narration of this gentle tale of magic and healing in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Amid the chaos, Yui, who is fleeing an abusive husband, and Hiyori, an orphan uprooted from her home, are taken in by a kindly old woman named Ob chan, who is no ordinary granny. Translator Udagawa leaves intact some Japanese vocabulary, and Mizushima transitions from standard English intonation to unstressed Japanese enunciation with casual ease. She gives Ob chan a no-nonsense warmth that steals the show. Listeners will share Yui and Hiyori's confidence in the old woman as they all work together to bring their community back from trauma. A quiet delight. V.S. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
★ 2023-06-08
Modern and mythological worlds collide in this moving novel from Japan that has been made into an anime.
Kashiwaba and translator Udagawa, known for their Batchelder Award–winning Temple Alley Summer (2021), return with a tale of individual, family, and communal healing amid the tragic aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan. Three lone souls meet in a shelter in the town of Kitsunezaki, or Fox’s Point: Hiyori, a silent, orphaned girl around age 10; Yui, a woman escaping her abusive husband; and Kiwa, a mysterious woman in her 80s whom the others call Obāchan, or grandma. Cut loose from their former lives, they move into a mayoiga, a type of magical, uninhabited house, overlooking the sea. As they begin to bond as a family, an ancient threat appears. The tsunami destroyed a shrine built over the cave of a menacing sea snake from an old legend. With the help of river spirits, wise animals called Futtachi, and statues of Jizō guardian deities, the trio must face their fears to battle this vindictive creature. Japanese folklore is woven into the stories Obāchan shares, from a shape-shifting fox to a red-eyed demon child. The tender emotions following collective trauma are skillfully blended with the riveting supernatural action. Can hope be found in such devastating circumstances? Saito’s full-page, black-and-white illustrations appear throughout, evoking a sense of rural nostalgia and bringing the setting to life.
A powerful story of healing. (map) (Fiction. 8-13)