Tomo: Friendship through Fiction: An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories

by Holly Thompson (Editor)

Overview

This aptly named fiction anthology—tomo means “friend” in Japanese—is a true labor of friendship to benefit teens in Japan whose lives were upended by the violent earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011. Authors from Japan and around the world have contributed works of fiction set in or related to Japan. Young adult English-language readers will be able to connect with their Japanese counterparts through stories of contemporary Japanese teens, ninja and yokai teens, folklore teens, mixed-heritage teens, and non-Japanese teens who call Japan home. Tales of friendship, mystery, love, ghosts, magic, science fiction, and history will propel readers to Japan past and present and to Japanese universes abroad.

Edited and with a foreword by Holly Thompson, Tomo contributing authors include Naoko Awa, Deni Bechard, Jennifer Fumiko Cahill, Liza Dalby, Megumi Fujino, Andrew Fukuda, Alan Gratz, Katrina Toshiko Grigg-Saito, Suzanne Kamata, Sachiko Kashiwaba, Kelly Luce, Shogo Oketani and Leza Lowitz, Ryusuke Saito, Graham Salisbury, Fumio Takano, and Wendy Tokunaga, among others.

Through understanding comes compassion and the desire to help; portions of the proceeds of Tomo will be donated to ongoing relief efforts for teens in Japan.

Holly Thompson is a longtime writing teacher and resident of Japan and author of the young adult verse novel Orchards, which was nominated for a 2012 YALSA/ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults award. She serves as the regional advisor for the Tokyo chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611725186
Publisher:	Stone Bridge Press
Publication date:	03/06/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Holly Thompson (www.hatbooks.com) is a longtime resident of Japan and author of the young adult verse novel Orchards (Delacorte/Random House, 2011), the picture book The Wakame Gatherers (Shen’s Books, 2007), and the novel Ash (Stone Bridge Press, 2001). She is a regular contributor to the Double Take column of All Nippon Airway’s Wingspan magazine, and serves as Regional Advisor for the Tokyo chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She has taught creative and academic writing at Yokohama City University for many years and often gives presentations on writing craft. Visit her Hatbooks blog (http://hatbooks.blogspot.com) on writing, teaching, living and learning, mostly in Japan.

Table of Contents

Contributors list to be announced in September 2011.

Editorial Reviews

"These stories truly surprised me with their depth, literary quality, and heart. I loved them all!" - Debbi Michiko Florence, author of Japan: A Kaleidoscope Kids Book

"As the winds blow through the tales and understanding blossoms in the lives of teenage protagonists, a real live vision of hope, peace and renewal is formed which brings a full circle to the meaning of 'Friend'...In this ripe time for healing just before the one year anniversary of 3/11/2011, make a new friend - the book called Tomo." - Japan Visitor

"There is plenty for adults to enjoy here, too." - JQ Magazine

From the Publisher

Gr 7 Up—The title of this anthology, meaning "friend" in Japanese, is apt. The collection was conceived to benefit young people in the areas affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and, in turn, the stories encourage an awareness and appreciation of Japanese culture among English-speaking teens. As with most anthologies, the quality of the selections varies, but the eclectic mix of genres ensures that there is something for most readers. Stories range from contemporary to historical to fantasy and horror, providing a well-rounded glimpse into Japanese culture. Two particularly engaging stories are told in graphic-novel format, and another tale gracefully unfolds in choka, a type of traditional verse. Most stories do not reference the 2011 disaster, but several address other hardships such as war or internment. Some are lighthearted. The one thing they have in common is that they are set in Japan or are about people of Japanese descent, often bicultural, and all feature elements that are uniquely Japanese. Most stories require some degree of familiarity with the country. Cultural references go largely unexplained, and Japanophiles will appreciate casual mentions of things that are common knowledge, like the Yamanote line, idol singers, and Ghibli. However, there is a sense of universality, too. The youth in these stories have the same hopes and concerns shared by teens all over the world. They play baseball, have crushes, and get bullied. A solid addition to any YA fiction collection, especially where anime and manga circulate well.—Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Library, CA

School Library Journal

A big but consistently engaging pro bono anthology of authors with direct or indirect Japanese "heritage or experience." The 36 tales (all but six of which are new) were gathered as contributions to the relief effort for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. They feature Japanese--or, frequently, haafu, half-Japanese--teenagers engaged in the business of growing up. Two stories are set in the past: a Pearl Harbor episode from Graham Salisbury and Mariko Nagai's probing free-verse view of the prejudice and internment faced by Japanese Americans shortly thereafter. Otherwise nearly all of the stories have contemporary settings. Only one story refers directly to the 2011 disaster; in the rest, situations and experiences blend familiar tropes with some that may be new to U.S. audiences. Some concern making or missing friends and coping with bullies or demanding parents. Others find their characters reading absorbing cellphone mini-novels on a long commute to school or finding common ground through dance and kendo as well as baseball. Fantasy also makes a strong showing in tales of dragons and eerie samurai dolls, a supernatural Lost Property Office, a magic toaster that predicts the manner of one's death and more. The closing capsule bios will be particularly helpful to young readers on this side of the Pacific. A broadly appealing mix of the tragic and droll, comforting, disturbing, exotic and universal, with nary a clinker in the bunch. (glossary) (Short stories. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews