Mermaid scales and the town of sand

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Title:

Aoi uroko to suna no machi. English

Viz signature

Viz signature.

Author:

Komori, Yoko, author, artist.

ISBN:

9781974734658

Edition:

Viz Signature Edition.

Physical Description:

394 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm.

Series:

Viz signature

Viz signature.

Abstract:

"When Tokiko's parents break up, she and her father move from the bustling city to a sleepy coastal town to live with her grandmother. Starting sixth grade in a new school where everyone has known each other their whole lives isn't easy. Things start to look up when local boy Yosuke, another outsider, wants to be friends. But then strange memories start to surface. Swimming in the ocean ... Drowning ... Getting saved by ... a merman? Yosuke denies the presence of merfolk, yet the townspeople hold a festival to honor them every year. Can Tokiko solve the mystery of what is real and what is fantasy ...?"--Provided by publisher

Subject Term:

Middle school students -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Mermaids -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Mermen -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Moving, Household -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Life change events -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Format:

Books

Publication Date:

2023

Language:

English

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Location
Searching... Libbie Mill Library	Teen paperback	38674124179191	YA MANGA KOMORI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Twin Hickory Library	Teen paperback	38674124179209	YA MANGA KOMORI	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Everyone besides Tokiko denies the existence of merpeople, and yet the town holds a secret annual festival to honor them. Can she solve the mystery of what is real and what is fantasy...?

Everyone besides Tokiko denies the existence of merpeople, and yet the town holds a secret annual festival to honor them. Can she solve the mystery of what is real and what is fantasy...?

When Tokiko's parents break up, she and her father move from the bustling city to a sleepy coastal town to live with her grandmother. Starting sixth grade in a new school where everyone has known each other their whole lives isn't easy. Things start to look up when local boy Yosuke, another outsider, wants to be friends.

But then strange memories start to surface.

Swimming in the ocean...

Drowning...

Getting saved by...

...a merman ?

Yosuke denies the presence of merfolk, yet the townspeople hold a festival to honor them every year. Can Tokiko solve the mystery of what is real and what is fantasy...?

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 6 Up--After her mother abandons the family, Tokiko and her father move in with Tokiko's grandmother in a cozy hamlet next to the ocean. The townsfolk say there are mermaids in the sea, and they even have a yearly festival to honor the protection they get from the creatures. Tokiko believes the townsfolk, especially as she was saved by a merman when she was four, swimming off the coast of this very town. As she befriends some of the children in her class, she discovers that there might be a darker side to the town's folktales--something the adults are hiding from the children. Interwoven in this sparse tale of mystery and intrigue is a poignant depiction of Tokiko and her father dealing with grief, loss, and abandonment. Neither fully knows how to express their feelings to the other, so they struggle together in silence. Employing clean drawings and relatively few word bubbles, Komori nevertheless conveys the tone of sadness and growing hopefulness as Tokiko and her father adjust to their new lives in an odd town. VERDICT Recommended for readers who appreciate pared down, powerful art and tear-jerking stories.--Sara Smith

Publisher's Weekly Review

A Japanese tween struggles to come to terms with her parents' separation in this ethereal speculative manga by Komori. Following her parents' split, sixth grader Tokiko Aoyama moves with her father from the Tokyo area to the small seaside town of Sunanomori. As she explores her new home, she hears rumors of the existence of merfolk, triggering vague memories of her own encounter with an elusive creature who saved her from drowning years prior, as well as painful recollections of her emotionally absent mother. At school, Toki is treated as an outsider, especially since she alone believes that the merfolk are real. Searching for answers regarding the enigmatic entities, Toki befriends classmate Yosuke, who has his own agenda, and their investigation unearths a forbidden tunnel, a secret ritual, and more inexplicable findings. Komori's b&w illustrations embody quiet mystery via softly lined panels that aptly depict small town life on Japan's coast. Leisurely and effective pacing, paired with a calm ambiance, aid in delivering the narrative's central dilemma of determining what is real and what is fantasy, gently positing the idea that while bad things may be inevitable, they are not insurmountable. Ages 8--12. (Feb.)

Booklist Review

This is the tale of a young girl, Tokiko, who comes to live in her mother's hometown with her father after her parents' marriage breaks apart. Returning to the town jumpstarts Tokiko's memories from when she was a child and almost drowned. She recalls a merman having saved her, and it becomes hard for Tokiko to discern what is real and what is fantasy as she learns more about the town she lives in. A masterful blending of fantasy tropes, the traditions of small towns in Japan, and the endurance of both personal and collective grief, this has the reader questioning what is real until its satisfying conclusion. Tokiko's growing bonds with her new classmates, particularly a boy named Yosuke, who firmly does not believe in mermaids but whose story is intricately tied to Tokiko's, and her shifting bond with her parents make for a meaningful read for young readers. This is a manga about family, community, grief, and transition.