By Kathryn Tanquary
What an interesting read this book became. This is a very unexpected and enjoyable story with content and subject matter that I am not very familiar with. This story begins with a young lady in middle school being forced into the mountains with her family to celebrate the feast of Obon. She is very reluctant and feels no ties to her past, folk tales or tradition. She just knows that she has very poor cell phone reception and her friends from home are upset with her inability to communicate. Saki is convinced that her world is about to end without reception, and does not want to spend the time in her grandmother's old home without any conveniences. Her younger brother Jun is able to charm his way out of most of the hard work and her parents are very displeased with Sake's behavior and attitude. Saki's Grandfather, who used to care for the mountain shrine, passed away a few years ago, and Saki immediately can see the neglect around the shrine.
Saki is lax in her observation of certain protocol on the first day of Obon, but by the end of the tale, she is a firm believer in tradition and the thin veil between the human and the spirit realm. She meets three very distinct guides in her quest to release the death curse, yet only an unselfish, pure act can undo the curse. Saki finds an inner strength and blossoms during the days of Obon, she learns faith and a belief in self and hope. She even comes to realize who her true friends are and who not to trust.
This was a very good read, although it was a bit difficult to get into the story. After the initial back- ground, the tale picks up and becomes one of those books you don't want to put down. I am going to give this book a 4 out of 5 stars, only marking down for the length of the introduction. I believe this book is appropriate for 4th grade and up. The author did a lot of research on Japanese Spirits and the festival of Obon, so it read very true to the culture.
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