Temple Alley Summer

Description:

From renowned Japanese children's author Sachiko Kashiwaba, Temple Alley Summer is a fantastical and mysterious adventure filled with the living dead, magical pearls, and a suspiciously nosy black cat named Kiriko featuring beautiful illustrations from Miho Satake.

Brief description:

Avery Fischer Udagawa grew up in Kansas and studied English and Asian Studies at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She holds an MA in advanced Japanese studies from the University of Sheffield. She has studied at Nanzan University, Nagoya, on a Fulbright fellowship, and at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies, Yokohama. She writes, translates and works in international education near Bangkok, where she lives with her bicultural family.

Review Quotes:

"This imaginative tale, enchantingly written and charmingly illustrated by veteran Japanese creators for young people, has a timeless feel. Its captivating blend of humor and mystery is undergirded with real substance that will provoke deeper contemplation. Udagawa's translation naturally and seamlessly renders the text completely accessible to non-Japanese readers. An instant classic filled with supernatural intrigue and real-world friendship."

-- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"When an author and an illustrator with ties to books adapted to renowned Studio Ghibli masterpieces such as Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away join forces on a middle-grade fantasy adventure, you can count on it being something truly special.... Heartwarming with a supernatural touch, this beautifully captures the magic of childhood."

-- Booklist, Starred Review

"A humorous yet thoughtful mystery chock-full of the fantastical, this is a must-read for young fans of Studio Ghibli--an especially warranted comparison, as another book by Kashiwaba served as inspiration for Spirited Away. Lovingly translated into English from the original 2011 text, this version is completely accessible to an English-language audience while retaining a classic Japanese sensibility and storytelling style. . . . Highly recommended."

-- School Library Journal

"A sweet ghost story, a mystery, an eerie and unsettling story-within-a-story: Finally, the work of the great Sachiko Kashiwaba, one of Japan's most revered children's authors, is available in English translation! I'm so pleased that young people who read in English can now enjoy Kashiwaba's Temple Alley Summer, and experience the pleasure and wonder of viewing the world from a less familiar angle."

-- Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and New York Times best-selling author

"Imbued with a delightfully old-fashioned atmosphere, Temple Alley Summer gives its readers a wonderful glimpse of Japanese culture and traditions. And while the inner story has its scary moments, the outer one does not. The two tales form a satisfying and surprisingly deep whole that addresses questions of life, death, meaning, and friendship, all wrapped up in a supernatural summertime mystery."

-- Nanette McGuinness, Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

"Fans of Hayao Miyazaki will love Temple Alley Summer, which takes a series of supernatural turns as young Kazu seeks to discover the truth about a mysterious classmate and help her learn the end to an unfinished story. This beguiling tale--skillfully translated and charmingly illustrated--imparts haunting, hopeful lessons about second chances and what it means to fully embrace life."

-- Leza Lowitz, author of Up from the Sea and Jet Black and the Ninja Wind

"What a thrilling discovery this book is. There are unexplained legends, ghosts, and plenty of twists and turns to keep those pages flying, but at its heart it's a story about a sensitive boy who wants to do the right thing, even when things get strange and his ordinary life is suddenly filled with the most unsettling mysteries."

-- Daniel Hahn, founder of the TA First Translation Prize

"Utterly enchanting! Part mystery, part ghost story, this magical tale has the makings of a classic."

-- Suzanne Kamata, author of Pop Flies, Robo-Pets, and Other Disasters

"As a kid, I would have loved reading this compelling story within a story grounded in a Japanese boy's school and home life as he protects a girl ghost. I love it now!"

--Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu, author of Beyond Me and Somewhere Among