The house of the lost on the cape

Kashiwaba (Temple Alley Summer) reimagines sometimes frighteningly depicted creatures from Japanese folklore as friendly allies to a magical grandmother in this fanciful tale. Three strangers arrive separately to Kitsunezaki, a small coastal village, hours before the 2011 To¯hoku earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. At a shelter following the events, Kiwa Yamana, an endearing 87-year-old whom everyone calls Oba¯chan, seemingly mistakes a young woman and an orphaned child as her daughter-in-law and granddaughter. The woman, having escaped from her physically abusive husband in Tokyo, and the silent youth are gratefully swept up by Oba¯chan's care. The trio move into an old thatch-roofed house that has been fixed up by Oba¯chan's mystical friends. When unexplained incidents result in injured animals throughout Kitsunezaki, Oba¯chan's companions--which include kappa river spirits and Jizo¯ guardian statues­--help the little family find the source: a Shinto shrine was destroyed by the tsunami, and the evil sea snake it had sealed away now threatens the village. Kashiwaba's moody work teems with ambient wonder and grim portent, offering glimpses of darkness without overwhelming the narrative's uplifting tone. All characters are Japanese. Ages 8--13. (Sept.)

Modern and mythological worlds collide in this moving novel from Japan that has been made into an anime. Kashiwaba and translator Udagawa, known for their Batchelder Award--winning Temple Alley Summer (2021), return with a tale of individual, family, and communal healing amid the tragic aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan. Three lone souls meet in a shelter in the town of Kitsunezaki, or Fox's Point: Hiyori, a silent, orphaned girl around age 10; Yui, a woman escaping her abusive husband; and Kiwa, a mysterious woman in her 80s whom the others call Obāchan, or grandma. Cut loose from their former lives, they move into a mayoiga, a type of magical, uninhabited house, overlooking the sea. As they begin to bond as a family, an ancient threat appears. The tsunami destroyed a shrine built over the cave of a menacing sea snake from an old legend. With the help of river spirits, wise animals called Futtachi, and statues of Jizō guardian deities, the trio must face their fears to battle this vindictive creature. Japanese folklore is woven into the stories Obāchan shares, from a shape-shifting fox to a red-eyed demon child. The tender emotions following collective trauma are skillfully blended with the riveting supernatural action. Can hope be found in such devastating circumstances? Saito's full-page, black-and-white illustrations appear throughout, evoking a sense of rural nostalgia and bringing the setting to life. A powerful story of healing. (map) (Fiction. 8-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.