By Maureen Tai, 12 October 2023

We wouldn’t normally review another book in a series but Black (ages 8+), even though it proclaims itself as Book II to Brown (which we read, loved and reviewed several years ago), stands very much on its own two feet, thank you very much. This middle grade, heavily-illustrated, realistic fiction book is about the well-meaning but slightly dim-witted Jack, who becomes smitten with an alluring, yet standoffish newcomer to his town. In a bid to win the heart of his Lady Love, Jack concocts a dubious plan involving the theft of the Mayor’s prizewinning chicken. As his scheme quickly unravels, Jack must enlist the aid of his good friends, dependable Rusty and clever Lou. Transforming into their alter ego superhero selves, the three children race to solve the mystery of the kidnapped chicken while making the front page news in the process. Jack’s story is quirky, well-paced and fun, and the deadpan humour and seemingly unfinished illustrations will have you in stitches (we were laughing so hard at one point that we were crying). A perfect chapter book for emerging and reluctant readers.

For ages 8 and up.

NOTE: Thank you for reading my reviews! I’ll never take this website down, but in the interests of streamlining, from 1 January 2025, I’ll be posting new reviews on my writer website, www.maureentai.com, where I post lots of other bookish extras. See you there!

By Maureen Tai, 21 September 2023

“So that’s the question, I guess, for you and for me and for all of us trying to do this sacred task of telling stories for the young: How do we tell the truth and make that truth bearable? – Kate DiCamillo

The Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011 continue to cast long shadows. The middle grade, realistic/fantasy novel The House of the Lost on the Cape (ages 10+) opens with this horrific event, drawing readers into the fates of the three main characters. Kiwa, Yurie and Moeka are brought together by circumstance, only to be bound together by a common purpose and similar needs: the need to love, to be loved and to be part of a community.

Kiwa Yamana, or Obāchan (Granny), is the central figure; a kind and spritely elderly lady bound for a nursing home in Kitsunezaki (Fox’s Point) but who, due to the tsunami, ends up sheltering in a gymnasium. Yurie Sano is a childless wife escaping an abusive marriage who sees a young speechless girl on a train and rather impulsively, decides to follow her when she alights. The girl, Moeka, is being escorted to her uncle’s house, but disaster strikes, and both Yurie and Moeka find themselves in the same gymnasium as Obāchan. In an unusual turn of events, Obāchan ends up informally adopting Yurie (now with a newly assumed name of Yui) as her daughter-in-law and Moeka (now known as Hiyori) as her granddaughter. The three move to an old, thatched house at the tip of Fox Cub Cape. According to Obāchan, their new house is very much like a mayoiga (lost house), a sentient being with a personality who brings good fortune to all those who find it. As Yui and Moeka slowly adjust to their new roles and their new lives, they discover that there is more to Obāchan than meets the eye, especially after they are introduced to Obāchan’s many colourful yōkai friends. These deities and supernatural spirits from Japanese folklore – kappa, Jizō and zashiki warashi, among others – are a charming, friendly bunch, and they come without hesitation to Obāchan, Yui and Hiyori’s aid when the three must stand together against an ancient enemy.

Despite being, at its core, an engrossing and imaginative Good-versus-Evil fantasy story, the reality of the earthquake and the tsunami’s aftermath are never downplayed. Yui’s fright as she witnesses houses being swept away. Hiyori’s overwhelming feelings of grief, despair and loneliness. The severity of the physical destruction. The devastating loss of lives. All these aspects are masterfully weaved into the narrative, described in Kashiwaba’s unadorned, thoughtful and honest writing, the truth no less poignant, but to borrow Kate DiCamillo’s words, made bearable for young readers. Therein lies the skill of both writer and translator, conveying the true heart of the novel, with its beat that stays with us long after the last page is turned.

For ages 10 and up.

NOTE: Thank you for reading my reviews! I’ll never take this website down, but in the interests of streamlining, from 1 January 2025, I’ll be posting new reviews on my writer website, www.maureentai.com, where I post lots of other bookish extras. See you there!

By Maureen Tai, 28 October 2022

The titular Lizard in this middle grade, historical thriller and riveting page-turner is a poor, green-eyed boy of mixed parentage. Abandoned by his Chinese mother and subsequently by his beloved British uncle, Lizard survives on petty crime and odd jobs in 1940s Singapore. His life is turned upside down when a job – to steal a teak box from a hotel room in the swish Raffles Hotel – goes horribly and unexpectedly wrong. The next thing he knows, Lizard is on the run. But why? From whom? What are the secret contents of the teak box? Suddenly, everything Lizard knows is not what they seem to be. Even his best friend Lili, his neighbour and a lover of curry puffs. Could she be more than just the daughter of a Chinese tailor living in Chinatown? Lizard’s Tale (ages 8+) will have you at the edge of your seat as you follow Lizard on his perilous quest to unravel the mystery surrounding his contraband. What is just as exciting for an older, Asian reader like me, is to see authentic details of pre-war Singapore both big – like the Raffles Hotel – and small – like the Brylcreem used by a local thug to slick down his hair – in a traditionally published, middle grade novel. Unputdownable.

NOTE: Thank you for reading my reviews! I’ll never take this website down, but in the interests of streamlining, from 1 January 2025, I’ll be posting new reviews on my writer website, www.maureentai.com, where I post lots of other bookish extras. See you there!