Mai K. Nguyen
Auteur de Pilu of the Woods
Œuvres de Mai K. Nguyen
Little Ghost 1 exemplaire
Coral and the King 1 exemplaire
Étiqueté
Partage des connaissances
- Sexe
- female
- Nationalité
- USA
- Lieux de résidence
- California, USA
Membres
Critiques
It's beautiful to look at, but I found the story vague and unsatisfying. It has the potential to be comforting or helpful to a young reader who is, like the main character Willow, grieving and trying to bottle up their emotions. But in the end, the character growth did not feel earned.
Honestly, this may be the sweetest middle grade graphic novel I have ever read. It is beautifully written and drawn. I adored it.
This graphic novel has elements of fantasy, but is firmly rooted in realistic problems for Willow. Willow has terrible fights with her big sister that leave her full of guilt, and she can't seem to control these negative feelings that build up until she explodes in anger again. When she flees to the woods she meets a stranger who helps her be kinder to herself.
Listes
Spring Reading (1)
Prix et récompenses
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Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 4
- Membres
- 213
- Popularité
- #104,444
- Évaluation
- 4.0
- Critiques
- 14
- ISBN
- 7
-- 4.5 stars --
Anzu's family just moved to a new town, and she's having trouble making friends. Not that her old friends - who insisted on calling her "Anne" while mocking her "smelly" food - were all that great anyway. It's the last day of Obon, and her mom and brother Yuuta are decorating the house, but Anzu hasn't been able to get into the spirit of things since her obaachan died. Instead, Anzu goes for a walk in the woods behind her house - and unwittingly stumbles into Yomi, the land of the dead, while chasing a stray dog who snatched her grandmother's pendant right off her neck!
But this is no mere canine - Anzu's thief is the Gatekeeper of Yomi, and he might just be her only way out of the underworld. The Gatekeeper - who Anzu names Limbo - is hiding his own shameful secret: he no longer feels connected to Musuhi, the power flowing through the earth, hence his inability to fix the rift in the Marsh Gate that allowed Anzu through. And so many like her: Izanami, Queen of Yomi, imprisons the souls of stolen children in her Floating Garden. They are trapped forever, unable to journey to their next life, or visit with their families on Obon.
Can Anzu and Limbo fix the gate, free the trapped children, and get Anzu home before sunlight - at which point she'll be bound to Yomi and Izanami forever?
ANZU AND THE REAL OF DARKNESS is such a delightful and touching story. Nguyen - who claims both Japanese and Vietnamese heritage - incorporated elements of Shintoism and Buddhism into Anzu's world. The result is absolutely enthralling. I especially loved the Gatekeeper (and his genesis: Limbo is a real pup!); the goddess Akkorokamui and her apprentice, Rakko Huci; the crafty Nurikabe; and of course the Night Market. The scenes with Anzu and her obaachan reduced me to tears, as did Limbo's resurrection.
ANZU AND THE REAL OF DARKNESS is a lovely story about being true to yourself; the importance of finding your people; and continuing to love and honor those who have passed on.… (plus d'informations)