Emi Watanabe Cohen’s sophomore novel travels from the most awkward surface tensions to the beautiful depths of Jewish culture and lore for a tale of magical and emotional discovery. Faye has a tough time concentrating in School. It’s easier to be silent and fade into the woodwork than take on the challenges of kids at school who mock her biracial heritage, and her competitive family at home, none of whom are good listeners. Except possibly for her brother Shiloh, who tries to speak extra so she doesn’t have to. (Maybe a bit too much extra?)They have a private made up language that they call “Effalese” which is Japanese (from one side of the family) written in Hebrew letters (from the other side of the family.) And a thousand inside jokes. But the family dynamic is shattered when their uncle and cousin from the Jewish side arrive unannounced to say that it’s time the children learn the secret family magic: Golem Crafting. And it seems Faye DOES have a gift for it, even more so than Shiloh. But will it truly be the thing that makes Faye feel whole? And will it heal the bitter rifts in the family?
BEST OF THE YEAR: Chicago Public Library · Kids’ Indie Next List A story of multigenerational pain, magic, and the lengths to which we'll go to protect the people we love. Kohei Fujiwara has never seen a big ryū in real life. Those dragons all disappeared from Japan after World War II, and twenty years later, they've become the stuff of legend. Their smaller cousins, who can fit in your palm, are all that remain. And Kohei loves his ryū, Yuharu, but… …Kohei has a memory of the big ryū. He knows that's impossible, but still, it's there, in his mind. In it, he can see his grandpa – Ojiisan – gazing up at the big ryū with what looks to Kohei like total and absolute wonder. When Kohei was little, he dreamed he'd go on a grand quest to bring the big ryū back, to get Ojiisan to smile again. But now, Ojiisan is really, really sick. And Kohei is running out of time. Kohei needs to find the big ryū now, before it's too late. With the help of Isolde, his new half-Jewish, half-Japanese neighbor; and Isolde's Yiddish-speaking dragon, Cheshire; he thinks he can do it. Maybe. He doesn't have a choice. P R A I S E ★ “A thought-provoking, magical middle-grade journey that explores sacrifices, faith in allies and the resilient hopefulness of a child. A boy, his new friend and their dragons travel across Japan in search of a giant dragon they believe may heal his grandfather in this hopeful and stirring middle-grade debut.” —Shelf-Awareness (starred) “A spellbinding mix of fantasy and alternate history that explores themes of generational trauma, resilience, and family love. Recommended.” —School Library Journal “A beautiful—though complex—exploration of generational trauma.” —Kirkus “Cohen interweaves Japanese dragon imagery, history, and post-war culture in a story that muses on the legacies of emotion and family experiences in shaping identity after war. She blends her fantastical imagery with historical fact and realism, bringing readers commentary and questions on cultural identity, racism, friendship, and political activism.” —Horn Book “Kohei and Isolde are a dynamic pair, with contrasting skills and such different life experiences that they are constantly challenging and learning from each other. The thread of quiet agony that runs under the misery of Kohei’s mother and the anger of his grandfather hints at the war and its devastating ripples across generations.” —BCCB “Emi Watanabe Cohen does an admirable job of breathing life into this story of multicultural identity, family secrets, the effect of guilt on family relationships, forgiveness, and hope for the future.” —School Library Connection “Gentle, humorous, and touching. A fantasy novel whose full-blooded mythology helps to emphasize the humanity of its characters.” —Foreword
Emi Watanabe Cohen’s sophomore novel travels from the most awkward surface tensions to the beautiful depths of Jewish culture and lore for a tale of magical and emotional discovery. Faye has a tough time concentrating in School. It’s easier to be silent and fade into the woodwork than take on the challenges of kids at school who mock her biracial heritage, and her competitive family at home, none of whom are good listeners. Except possibly for her brother Shiloh, who tries to speak extra so she doesn’t have to. (Maybe a bit too much extra?)They have a private made up language that they call “Effalese” which is Japanese (from one side of the family) written in Hebrew letters (from the other side of the family.) And a thousand inside jokes. But the family dynamic is shattered when their uncle and cousin from the Jewish side arrive unannounced to say that it’s time the children learn the secret family magic: Golem Crafting. And it seems Faye DOES have a gift for it, even more so than Shiloh. But will it truly be the thing that makes Faye feel whole? And will it heal the bitter rifts in the family?
BEST OF THE YEAR: Chicago Public Library · Kids’ Indie Next List A story of multigenerational pain, magic, and the lengths to which we'll go to protect the people we love. Kohei Fujiwara has never seen a big ryū in real life. Those dragons all disappeared from Japan after World War II, and twenty years later, they've become the stuff of legend. Their smaller cousins, who can fit in your palm, are all that remain. And Kohei loves his ryū, Yuharu, but… …Kohei has a memory of the big ryū. He knows that's impossible, but still, it's there, in his mind. In it, he can see his grandpa – Ojiisan – gazing up at the big ryū with what looks to Kohei like total and absolute wonder. When Kohei was little, he dreamed he'd go on a grand quest to bring the big ryū back, to get Ojiisan to smile again. But now, Ojiisan is really, really sick. And Kohei is running out of time. Kohei needs to find the big ryū now, before it's too late. With the help of Isolde, his new half-Jewish, half-Japanese neighbor; and Isolde's Yiddish-speaking dragon, Cheshire; he thinks he can do it. Maybe. He doesn't have a choice. P R A I S E ★ “A thought-provoking, magical middle-grade journey that explores sacrifices, faith in allies and the resilient hopefulness of a child. A boy, his new friend and their dragons travel across Japan in search of a giant dragon they believe may heal his grandfather in this hopeful and stirring middle-grade debut.” —Shelf-Awareness (starred) “A spellbinding mix of fantasy and alternate history that explores themes of generational trauma, resilience, and family love. Recommended.” —School Library Journal “A beautiful—though complex—exploration of generational trauma.” —Kirkus “Cohen interweaves Japanese dragon imagery, history, and post-war culture in a story that muses on the legacies of emotion and family experiences in shaping identity after war. She blends her fantastical imagery with historical fact and realism, bringing readers commentary and questions on cultural identity, racism, friendship, and political activism.” —Horn Book “Kohei and Isolde are a dynamic pair, with contrasting skills and such different life experiences that they are constantly challenging and learning from each other. The thread of quiet agony that runs under the misery of Kohei’s mother and the anger of his grandfather hints at the war and its devastating ripples across generations.” —BCCB “Emi Watanabe Cohen does an admirable job of breathing life into this story of multicultural identity, family secrets, the effect of guilt on family relationships, forgiveness, and hope for the future.” —School Library Connection “Gentle, humorous, and touching. A fantasy novel whose full-blooded mythology helps to emphasize the humanity of its characters.” —Foreword
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