Book Review: Tsunami Girl / Julian Sedgwick & Chie Kutsuwada / 11 to Adult

Published by Guppy Books NYP March 2021

If you look up the Japanese tsunami that occurred in 2011 on the internet, the CNN report of the phenomenon reads as follows:

March 11, 2011 – At 2:46 p.m., a 9.1 magnitude earthquake takes place 231 miles northeast of Tokyo at a depth of 15.2 miles. The earthquake causes a tsunami with 30-foot waves that damage several nuclear reactors in the area. It is the largest earthquake ever to hit Japan.

Tsunami Girl puts the flesh on the bare bones of such a report.

I haven’t read any Manga, apart from that which is in this. I have, however, enjoyed the Studio Ghibli films. So much so that I bought DVD’s of many of them and have kept my collection (along with a few other of my favourites), even though I don’t have a player anymore that works.

This, should be made into a Studio Ghibli film.

Yuki Hara Jones visits her grandpa in Japan and they become caught up in the earthquake and the following tsunami. That too is rather a basic description of this story – which I returned to bed with yesterday afternoon, had a break for an evening meal and then fell asleep only to wake this morning to finish it.

Atmospheric. Beautifully Japanese in feel and haunting in many ways. What does happen after death? We don’t know. A fact that is often overlooked. I am often told that someone is sorry a relation who has died, isn’t around anymore to ‘see this’. We don’t know. It is just as likely that they are able to know what is going on, as not. Belief is a very personal thing.

Traditional Japanese beliefs seem to encompass so much more – their dead seem to be closer than ours – if you take our rather Western view point.

A story of friendship, love – of several types, family, belief, bravery and of saying goodbye.

It is a special book – part Manga, which should be a best seller and certainly should be turned into one of those phenomenal Studio Ghibli films – Chie Kutsuwada’s artwork really adds an extraordinary dimension…

Book Review: Maggie Blue and the Dark World / Anna Goodall / 9 – 12

Published by Guppy Books

Hoagy shivered as if a mouse had run over his litter tray.

A new author and from a new publisher – to start the new year!

I’m not really into physical violence. I may flap my ears a bit and mutter, but I don’t really believe it gets you anywhere, however when Maggie, at last, responds to Helena’s destructive bullying I couldn’t help but cheer inside, as I travelled to work.

Without another thought in her brain, Maggie punched Helena in the face as hard as she possibly could.

Obviously, there are repercussions to her response, as they should be (after all, long term it doesn’t really solve anything), however – this spike to the story was long in coming.

This is a remarkable story – a young girl living unhappily with her aunt whilst her mother is in hospital is, just a little, different. To say the very least. At least one teacher is not what she purports to be. There is an extraordinary one-eyed cat – and any cat is always a positive in any book, there are rumours and warnings about a local wood and there’s the idea that happiness can be milked and stored…which when you think about it is rather horrendous. Oh – I almost forgot – there’s another world too…

The book ends with the potential that there could be more in the pipeline – this is a super book and if this is the calibre that Guppy Books intend to publish, they should do very well.

A book I’d have said for Christmas, except it won’t be published till February – for which I apologise…it really isn’t my fault.

I am so glad that somehow I have got onto Guppy’s Reviewing list – this came as a wonderful surprise as we struggle to make sales at the end of this most peculiar of years.

One notation I would make – there has been a habit in recent years to combine exclamation marks with question marks. Almost as bad as using two exclamation marks together. It really isn’t necessary. The context will lead the reader to know what emphasis is required for a question asked at a pivotal moment and if it is a rhetorical question – it doesn’t need the exclamation mark… Why this has become the norm for Children’s publishers I don’t know. It has slipped in to this new book and it would be the better without!

That said – perhaps this will be amended in the published book and is just an aberration!

Book Review: Saving Winslow / Sharon Creech / 5 – 8

Published by Guppy Books

I’m not sure I have read a Guppy book before – certainly I haven’t reviewed one of their books. They are a new publisher. This small volume was sent in a box of ‘swag’ to me at work, along with some other titles (yet to be read) and I picked this one out of the pile to read and finished it in an hour and a half or so. It is not a big book, but big enough for some. It just depends on who you are, whether it is being read to you or, if you are reading for yourself, it rather depends on whether you are a confident reader, or not.

Winslow is a donkey. Brought home by Louie’s dad. As creatures often are, it seems. Winslow is not doing so well and he admits that he doesn’t expect Winslow to survive the night, let alone to the end of the week.

This is the story of how Winslow does survive (perhaps I shouldn’t have let on, but it wouldn’t have been much of a book if he didn’t) – and how he turns Louie’s family upside down in the process and nearly gets everyone in trouble with the various government agencies supposedly looking after animal (and sometimes, human) interests…

It is also a story of families. Louie’s brother has joined the army and the whole family, in one way or another miss Gus – whether it be his just lounging nonchalantly against the wall, or in the curve of a cushion, where he used to sit. Louie is aware of the space his brother took up. It is a story of change and the challenges this brings. Brothers are important. Brothers that are not around are missed. As are sisters.