Long, long ago, the Eight Noble Sages helped a noble warrior found the ancient great nation of Saiunkoku, "the country of the coloured clouds," and eventually "brought about the dawning of the Age of Man." Therein lies the problem, of course ...
It's New Year's Eve 2014 ...
As my children get more tech-savvy which means I become more of a Luddite, their favorite exasperated phrase seems to be "Maaaah-ahm, you just do this!" So in one of my son's 'just' moments, I...
From China to Nepal, boutique press Satya House Publications offers the second title in their I See the Sun series in which a young girl shares her day...
Living in the "Village of Orphans," Utsuho is constantly in trouble. He doesn't do his chores, he disappears when needed, but worst of all, he lies. "Lying is the worst thing ...
How did 2010 whoosh by so quickly? Is it really December already?
Since 'next year' is just a month away, take a sneak peek at 2011 with baby Rosie! With her especially huge...
Ando, now in 11th grade, is more or less going through the motions of fitting in: "If I said I didn't feel empty inside for putting up an act ...
We've all heard the stories of palate-adventurers willing to go to extreme lengths to try some of the most ...
At 14, Moritaka Mashiro figures he's "just going to live a normal life." For a teenager, that translates into "getting into a good high school, a good college and a good company to work...
Teru Kurebayashi is pretty much all alone in the world. Her parents are gone, and her beloved older brother is dead … but before his tragic too-early passing, he left her with a...
The final title of Caroline B. Cooney's award-winning Janie Johnson quartet begins with a newspaper article that marks the anniversary of the "Missing Child Milk Carton Campaign" that – for better...
If you haven’t read the first two titles of the Janie Johnson quartet, then skip this post for sure … no fun knowing too much! And, as the third volume proves, knowing...
Award-winning author Caroline Cooney never intended to write a sequel to The Face on the Milk Carton, which she ends with an uncertain telephone call: "I wanted you...
A young girl wakes with excitement, anticipating her early morning ferry ride that will take her from her village to visit her aunt in big-city Shanghai.
At Auntie Yen's apartment, she...
As today is Halloween, here's a story that promises to scare, chill, and thrill you ...
How cool is this? You can read the serialized version of this manga by clicking here. Or, you can watch the anime version online by clicking here. Although, I'll have to admit that I much prefer having it all right here in one book (the first...
Most teenagers seem to go through that 'I-hate-my-parents'-phase ...
Who knew blood and gore could fly off a printed page? The opening three-volume compendium of this international bestseller showcases some of the most graphic (pardon the pun) violence in pen and ink … don’t read this alone at night. Those unblinking corpses hacked to...
Natsume Ono is one versatile manga artist. She can go from contemporary lost souls (not simple) to an estranged mother/daughter relationship (Ristorante Paradiso) to a cozy Italian restaurant (Gente) and then effortlessly tackle feudal Japan's wandering warriors. Welcome to the uncertain world of Akitsu Masanosuke who...
While the story of abandoned Nicoletta in search of her wayward mother was a single-volume deal fully contained in Ristorante Paradiso, the staff of said Ristorante, the charming Casetta dell'Orso, merit their very own series. And why not ...
