29 Apr / At Night, I Become a Monster by Yoru Sumino, illustrated by loundraw, translated by Diana Taylor [in Booklist]
He’s “something like a six-legged beast made of pure darkness,” but come morning, he’s back to being “too serious” middle-schooler Adachi. More observer than participant among his peers, he keeps silent as the class pariah, Yano, is bullied almost daily. When a few boys, claiming to have spotted a monster lurking nearby, invite Adachi along to help hunt and capture it, he feigns much-needed sleep.
One night, he returns to school in his monstrous state, intending to pick up his forgotten homework. He’s shocked to find Yano taking a “midnight break” – the only time she can be at school without being targeted. Despite his beastly form, she recognizes him almost instantly, and their nightly encounters become a regular habit, totally separate from what happens during the day – until their two worlds collide.
Bestselling author Yoru Sumino’s latest “light novel” – a Japanese genre of prose stories meant to appeal to teen fans of manga and anime – might veil serious issues with a seemingly carefree tone (breezily anglicized by Diana Taylor), but he deftly succeeds in unmasking the real monsters.
Review: “Books for Youth,” Booklist, April 15, 2020
Readers: Middle Grade, Young Adult
Published: 2016 (Japan), 2020 (United States)