Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
5 Worlds meets Spirited Away in this tale of a girl fighting her way back home after getting trapped in the spirit world.
Anzu has just moved to a new town during Obon, a time for families to remember and celebrate their ancestors. Ever since her obaachan died, though, Obon has lost its magic. She doesn't feel much like celebrating anymore.
While avoiding holiday festivities, Anzu spots a stray dog down the street. A dog that seems to be staring right at her . But when she chases after it, she slips and falls down a ridge, losing consciousness. When she awakes, she's in the Shinto underworld known as Yomi, a place she's only heard about in Obaachan's stories. The stray dog, she finds out, is actually the Gatekeeper of Yomi, and he warns her to return to the human realm before it's too late.
Only, getting home is not as simple as she'd thought. Faced with the nefarious Queen Izanami of Yomi and a world full of creatures she'd once thought weren't real, the race against the clock is on. She must break a curse, free the spirits of other lost children, and reach the gate home before sunrise...or be stuck in Yomi forever.
Reviews: (1)
Kirkus Review
A lonely girl must find her way out of the underworld and back home. It's Obon, a holiday for celebrating ancestors, but Anzu is feeling miserable. Her family just moved, and when a neighbor child tries to befriend her, she becomes angry and self-conscious and runs away, reminded of the girls who used to tease her about her Japanese name. A stray dog appears, jumping up and snatching the special necklace that belonged to her late grandmother from around Anzu's neck. While pursuing the dog, Anzu falls and loses consciousness, waking up in Yomi. The dog, who's the Gatekeeper of this Shinto underworld, tells her to leave, but Anzu doesn't know how. Izanami no Mikoto, Queen of Yomi, offers to guide her--after Anzu joins her Obon banquet. But Anzu winds up cursed and bound to remain. Together with the Gatekeeper, whose role is to "guide souls to their destined realm," Anzu must save the lost souls of children kidnapped by Izanami and find her way home before sunrise marks the end of Obon. Colored in muted green, orange, and purple, this beautifully illustrated work is full of magic as it follows Anzu's journey of self-discovery after experiencing bullying, grief, and isolation. The fascinating and original spirit world is inspired by Nguyen's family's mix of Vietnamese and Japanese cultures and elements of Shintoism and Buddhism. An enchanting fantasy about finding the confidence to take up space in the world. (author's note, guide to Japanese folklore) (Graphic fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.