One day Sayuri and her little brother Keiji explore the dark root cellar and are transported from Ganola AB to Middle World, a woodland full of figures from Japanese folklore.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7-When Sayuri's family moves from the city to a tiny village in Alberta, Canada, the 12-year-old and her little brother Keiji go through a cellar door into a different world, where animals talk, magic is real, and Japanese folklore comes to life. Keiji wanders off and becomes the captive of a power-hungry fox called the Patriarch, while Sayuri, accompanied by a cursed kappa and a shape-shifting fox, has many adventures and close calls before she manages to rescue Keiji and overthrow the Patriarch. The strength of this fantasy lies in the imaginative way Japanese folkloric creatures are transformed into vivid and memorable characters that enrich a fast-moving plot. A theme of conservation and preservation runs throughout the book, but is kept from heavy-handedness by the humorous interactions between Sayuri and the other characters, particularly her exasperating, booger-eating brother. The writing is often awkward and the conversion of the Patriarch from evildoer to penitent is way too easy, but the unique setting and characters make this a fascinating read.
Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Japanese-Canadian Fantasy!,
By "zenzele11" (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Water Of Possibility (In the Same Boat) (Paperback)
When twelve-year-old Sayuri Kato and her little brother Keiji enter the root cellar in their new home, they find themselves transported to Living Earth, a magical world in which humans are the storybook creatures, and kappas, shape-shifting foxes, onis, and tanukis are creatures of reality. When Keiji is lost, Sayuri must journey through this myth-inhabited land, and accompanied by her new friends Echo and Machigai she learns important lessons along the way about philosophical and moral balance. The arch-villain of the story is Great Uncle Mischief the fox, who calls himself the Patriarch. He has devoted himself to the acquisition of power, destroying Living Earth and its inhabitants in the process. He is not evil, in an absolute sense, although his actions most certainly are. The strong feminist and ecological themes of this fantasy are worked seemlessly into the excellent writing and storytelling. One of the strongest entries in Coteau's "In the Same Boat" multi-cultural series.
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