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Temple Alley Summer
CCBC Review:
In the dead of night, Kazu spies a girl in white emerging from his family’s altar room in Masuda, Japan. The next day, Kazu is bewildered when his classmates act as though the girl, Akari, has been a member of their class for years. When he learns that his house was once the site of Kimyoji, or “return-to-life temple,” Kazu suspects Akari may be a ghost; he’s even more certain after his uncle tells him that their family has been protecting a Kimyo Temple statuette with the power to bring the dead to life. Kazu befriends Akari and learns that she died as a child 40 years ago. When an elderly neighbor steals the statuette from his family’s altar with intent to destroy it, Kazu is determined to help Akari enjoy the time she has left. He helps her track down a story she’d begun reading before her death and wants to finish. Upon discovering that the ending was never written, the two embark on a search for the author with the hope of persuading her to complete it, making a surprising discovery in the process. Readers will root for Kazu and Akari, while the story-within-the-story, printed in full, is as gripping and magical as the primary ghost story. Both are rich with themes of friendship, second chances, and making the most of the time you’re given. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by
Miho Satake
Translated by
Avery Fischer Udagawa.
Translated from the Japanese. Originally published in Japan.
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 8-12
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Death and Dying
Friendship
Japanese and Japanese Americans
Mysteries
Stories and Storytelling
Supernatural
Translated Books
Diversity subject:
Asian
On CCBC Booklists:
Global Reading: Selected Books for Children and Teens Set in Other Countries
Fantasy for 8 to 12 Year Olds: Giants, Journeys, and Other Imaginings
Publishers:
Restless, Yonder
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 232
ISBN: 9781632063038
CCBC Location: Fiction, Kashiwaka