Reviews

Temple Alley Summer, by Sachiko Kashiwaba

my_bibliotheca's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.75

Bercerita tentang Kazu yang secara langsung melihat seorang gadis asing dari dalam rumahnya menggunakan kimono putih saat tengah malam. Ternyata keesokannya gadis tsb satu kelas dengannya, tapi ia merasa tak pernah mengenalnya. Sedangkan teman-temannya seperti sudah mengenal gadis tsb dari sejak lama.  

Cerita anak apalagi kaya akan ghibli vibes emang gak ada duanya. Ceritanya sangat ringan dan tidak hanya itu, menariknya dalam cerita Temple Alley Summer kita juga akan dibawa untuk membaca dongeng "The Moon is on the Left". Dongeng ini merupakan salah satu unsur yang membawa buku ini menjadi happy ending.   

Plot ceritanya begitu mengalir dan karena ditulis dari POV orang pertama yakni Kazu membuat buku ini semakin menarik. Kalimat ocehan Kazu 100% akan memancing tawa. Apalagi ketika ia kebingungan akan kemunculan gadis itu secara tiba-tiba, lalu pertengkarannya dg Ms. Minakami juga gak kalah lucunya.

ani_a_1's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

sarahtonin_bby's review

2.75

i didn’t care for the story within a story, which is unfortunate because it’s a major plot point 

camibet95's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

optimaggie's review

4.0

I am giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 stars I think only because of the first-person telling of it. I am so curious what this book reads like in its original Japanese, because we all know that the translation can greatly effect the way the book reads. This is however, a book my seven-year-old son and I thoroughly enjoyed. It is really fun to read a book about another culture that is also written by someone of that culture, the story is just richer. The story-within-a-story was also fun and we really liked it. When we began the book I was worried that it would be too scary for my son, but that part quickly passed and the remainder was more like a mystery than a ghost story. Reading this book was an excellent addition to our Japan studies. I would definitely recommend this book.

kyliereads341's review

Pacing wasn't keeping my interest.

pib003's review

3.0

This was a really interesting story! The translation was a little klunky

sequentialrun's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.0

Cute little YA book jam-packed with cultural references. Young boy finds out his neighbor is a ghost and learns more about her. Very cute.

j_e_s_s's review

4.0

Temple Alley Summer is a chilling and heartwarming ghost story/fairy tale. The second story contained within, nestled between the pages in two parts, also caught me off guard with twists, turns, and suspense. Although the writing is straightforward, it is paired with a handful of beautiful illustrations that bring to life a vivid mystery. Kazu melted my heart and made me nostalgic for the sweetness of childhood friendship and magic. Thanks to Restless Books for the ARC!

charity1313's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Book in translation - keeping in mind this was written from within the Japanese culture, it was very different than what we were expecting from the blurb. Intriguing, unexpected, and unusual. We enjoyed it and it was so....fresh...to have something so different.