Miki Falls: Spring (Paperback)

by Mark Crilley (Author, Illustrator)
Key Phrases: Hiro Sakurai, Fukuyama High

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Crilley, probably best known for his Akiko novels and comic books, weighs in with the Miki Falls series, about lively, curious high-school-senior Miki, ready for adventure and romance. Attractive new student Hiro Sakurai piques Miki's curiosity, but he is not interested in making friends. Stubborn Miki, however, refuses to take no for an answer, which leads to a surprising revelation about the secretive young man. Except for an odd twist at the end (which, presumably, will be developed in future volumes), there are no surprises here. Crilley's manga-inspired illustrations, on the other hand, are terrific. Ranging from crisscrossing sequential panels to spot art, varied in size and artfully connected to further the plot, the pictures cleverly instill the story with abundant emotion, humor, and drama. An overlay of light shading and almost delicately rendered facial features and details give the book a softer feel than much manga. Despite the age of the characters, this will attract more middle-schoolers than older comics fans. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

It's spring—a time for new beginnings. This is Miki Yoshida's final year of high school, and she's determined to make this the best year yet. Miki is in control . . .

. . . until Hiro Sakurai shows up.

The tall, handsome new student is hiding something, and Miki wants to know what. As she breaks down Hiro's defenses, she is unnerved by how much she cares about him. Too bad he is the one guy who can't care for her back. But Miki is falling for Hiro, and nothing's going to stop her from getting close to him—not even his dangerous secret.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006084616X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060846169
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #81,822 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 2, 2007

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

Miki Yoshida is about to start her first day as a senior in high school. She is resolved -- no more Mr. Nice Girl! From now on she's going to just be herself and not try to please everyone else. On the way to school she gets an earful from her boy-crazy best friend, Yumi, who is determined to find her a boyfriend. Miki isn't interested, but Yumi is not convinced. There's a new boy in town, and maybe he'll be just what Miki needs. I guess they'll find out when he starts school the next day.

As it turns out, Miki won't have to wait till the next day to meet him. She runs into him after school, knee deep in a rice paddy. She was practicing archery when a fly buzzed in her ear and her arrow went right out the window. Instead of the lost arrow, she finds Hiro Sakurai. Talk about an embarrassing way to meet someone. Especially a really cute someone, of the dark and brooding variety.

Hiro, however, is beyond antisocial. To the point of being rude. But, Miki is sure that there's more to him than the face he shows to the world. She is determined to be his friend. The less he wants her around, the harder she tries to break through. It's obvious that there is more to Hiro than meets the eye, and Miki has every intention of figuring him out. No matter what it takes.

First off, I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of Manga. It's actually a bit unfounded as a prejudice, since I've never actually read any of it. Reviewing these books has opened me up to pop fiction, but I still wasn't sure about actual Manga. Low and behold, this book and its sequel arrives, and they look kind of like comic books. So I put off reading them. Finally I get to opening the book, and the next thing I know I'm done with both and wondering when the next one is coming out!

MIKI FALLS: SPRING is a quick, fun read, with an unexpected twist. Actually, the themes are pretty familiar: wanting the boy who doesn't seem interested, resolving to be a stronger person... That's kind of what high school is all about! Definitely a "chick" book, and great fun, much to my surprise. Give Miki a chance -- you'll be glad you did.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFUL READ, April 23, 2008

By	Muirland kid (Waco Texas) - See all my reviews

What a wonderful good read Miki Falls: Spring is! I wished it were twice as long, so very much did I love every page. To be honest: I hated for it to end. I look forward to devouring the next three books.

This is a book boys will enjoy equally with girls. Hiro is a strong character and very compelling. Miki is beautiful, thoughtful and deeply caring. Is it worth the money? Absolutely. The dialogue is pitch-perfect.

Those who aren't familiar with Manga will find Miki Falls a perfect introduction to this exquisite art form and those seeped in Manga will readily conclude this book to be among the best examples of it.

It is exquisitely well drawn. The representations of Japanese landscapes are breath-taking in their beauty. When one is finished with Miki Falls: Spring you feel like you have been living in Japan a long time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new manga, Miki Falls, December 20, 2008

By	Andrew Davis (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

Miki Falls: Spring is the first manga that Mark Crilley has done, and is the first in the four-part series. Miki Falls' story line follows the seasons of one year to present the story seasonly. This book may be written by someone in the west, but it takes place in Japan and looks a lot like a Japanese manga; but Crilley has thrown a unique style into the mix. His characters and artwork will have you dazzled that will keep your hands glued to the book until you've read every page twice. The story is about Miki Yoshida, a girl in Japan who hopes to make her senior year her best. Rumor has it that there's a new boy in town, Hiro Sakurai, who catches Miki's interest. At first she really isn't interested in romance, but a friendship so that Miki can find out who this guy is. She discovers that there is more to Hiro then meets the eye, and she wants to know desperately what it is Hiro is hiding. Miki Falls is my first manga and is a great introduction to this style of comics. Miki Falls may seem like a girls manga at first, but as characters develop, boys and girls will enjoy this short read equally. Miki Falls combines romance, drama, suspense, and super-natural things all in one beautiful book. The romance isn't really that big of part of the book, but expect some. Miki Falls is clean of curse words and other inappropriate things, so this also a good choice for those who don't appreciate when a good manga is ruined because of inappropriate drawings, story lines, scripts, or anything else. This is a great book and I look forward to buying Summer, Autumn, and Winter.