Category Archives: Japan

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind by Misa Sugiura

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind by Misa Sugiura. Labyrinth Road, 2023. 9780593564066 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 3.5 Format: Hardcover Genre: Adventure/fantasy What did you like about the book? Being at the … Continue reading

Posted in *Book Review, Adventure, Author, Fantasy, Japan, Middle grade novel, Misa Sugiura, Mythology | Tagged | Leave a comment

Race Against Death: The Greatest POW Rescue of World War II by Deborah Hopkinson

Race Against Death: The Greatest POW Rescue of World War II by Deborah Hopkinson. Scholastic Focus, 2023. 9781338746167 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: Paperback ARC, published April 2023 What did you like about … Continue reading

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Peace Is a Chain Reaction by Tanya Lee Stone

Peace is a Chain Reaction: How WWII Japanese Balloon Bombs Brought People of Two Nations Together by Tanya Lee Stone. Candlewick Press, 2022. 9780763676865 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: Hardcover What did you … Continue reading

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Sumo Colors / Sumo Shapes by Sanae Ishida

Sumo Colors (9781632173447) / Sumo Shapes (9781632173119) by Sanae Ishida. Little Bigfoot, an imprint of Sasquatch Books, 2022. Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: Board books What did you like about the book? These adorable … Continue reading

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The Secret Forest Friends by Kyoko Hara, illustrated by Kazue Takahashi

The Secret Forest Friends by Kyoko Hara, illustrated by Kazue Takahashi. Museyon, c2019, 2022. 9781940842646 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Hardcover Genre:  Fantasy What did you like about the book? Mayu is going … Continue reading

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Himawari House by Harmony Becker

Himawari House by Harmony Becker, First Second, 2021. 9781250235572 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5+ Format: Paperback graphic novel Genre: Realistic fiction What did you like about the book? Nao was born in Japan to … Continue reading

Posted in *Book Review, *Starred Review, *Young Adult, Graphic novel, Harmony Becker, Japan, Language, Realistic fiction | Tagged | Comments Off on Himawari House by Harmony Becker

Free Kid To Good Home by Hiroshi Ito

Free Kid To Good Home by Hiroshi Ito, translated by Cathy Hirano. Gecko Press, c1991, 2022. 9781776574421 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Hardcover Genre: Realistic fiction What did you like about the book? … Continue reading

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A Boy Named Isamu: A Story of Isamu Noguchi by James Yang

A Boy Named Isamu: A Story of Isamu Noguchi by James Yang. Viking, 2021. 9780593203446 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Hardcover Genre: Picture book What did you like about the book?  In this … Continue reading

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Tono Monogatari by Shigeru Mizuki

Tono Monogatari by Shigeru Mizuki. Translated by Zack Davisson. Drawn & Quarterly, 2021. 9781770464360 Format: Paperback graphic novel Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Genre:  Fantasy/folklore What did you like about the book? The folkloric tales … Continue reading

Posted in *Book Review, *Starred Review, Folklore, Graphic novel, Japan, Shigeru Mizuki, Supernatural | Tagged | Comments Off on Tono Monogatari by Shigeru Mizuki