Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness
Warrior Balsa is returning to the kingdom of her birth for the first time since her guardian Jiguro fled with her when she was a child. Jiguro gave up everything to save Balsa after her father was murdered. But Balsa discovers that Jiguro’s reputation and memory have been dishonored by lies that can be traced directly to the current king, a prince at the time of her father’s death. As she tries to ferret out the motive for the lies, Balsa learns that the time for a once-in-a-generation ceremony that keeps the spirit and physical world forces in balance is approaching, and understanding brings frightening implications. Nahoko Uehashi again explores how disregard for old ways, ancient knowledge, and indigenous peoples, as well greed and lust for power, can threaten the very existence of a culture in this thoughtful, action-packed follow-up to Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (U.S. edition: Arthur A. Levine Books / Scholastic, 2008). Balsa is a singular, satisfying hero whose exploits offer adventure as well as commentary on human nature and society. Although the richly developed setting for these fantasy stories has a medieval Japanese feel, readers will find much that is applicable to our world today. ©2009 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Translated by Cathy Hirano. Translated from the Japanese
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 12 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Courage
Fantasy
Girls and Women
Greed
Japanese and Japanese Americans
Middle Ages
Translated Books
Truth and Lies
Diversity subject:
Asian
Publishers:
Arthur A. Levine Books, Scholastic
Publish Year: 2009
Pages: 272
ISBN: 9780545102957
CCBC Location: Fiction, Uehashi