SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

January 18, 2016 by Robin Willis

Middle School Monday – The Night Parade by Kathryn Tanquary

January 18, 2016 by Robin Willis   Leave a Comment

MSM1From the publisher:

Saki’s boring summer might be her last when a Japanese curse casts her into the Night Parade.
Thirteen-year-old Saki Yamamoto wants to spend her summer vacation anywhere but at her grandmother’s old house in the Japanese countryside, where the phone signal is bad and there’s nothing to do all day. In an attempt to impress the local kids in the family graveyard, Saki unintentionally invokes a death curse. Now, the most terrible summer of her life could be her last.

In order to remove the curse, Saki must enter the dangerous spirit world of the Night Parade. Over the course of three nights, three different guides assign mysterious and harrowing challenges that give Saki the chance to set herself free. But she better be careful, or the death curse will catch up with her…

Saki begins her journey as a largely unsympathetic but entirely relatable young Japanese teenager. Obsessed with keeping in touch with her friends in Tokyo by text while isolated in the remote village where her father was raised and her grandmother still lives, she goes to great lengths to access a phone signal. This puts her in the path of the manipulative popular crowd of teens, who seem remarkably similar to the ‘friends’ Saki is trying to keep in touch with in Tokyo. Saki seems caught in the trap of trying to please the unkind popular kids in order to either fit in with them or at least not become a target of their machinations. This is a common dilemma amongst middle schoolers. The desperate desire to fit in and be accepted can lead to all sorts of negative behavior patterns. Saki realistically and relatably embodies this dilemma.

9781492623243To remove the death curse she has brought on her household, Saki must enter the Night Parade. Based on the Japanese legend of Hyakki Yagyo, or the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, Saki must navigate the dangers of three nights of the Night Parade in order to seek the removal of the curse. The lessons she learns about herself, others, honoring your culture, and what true friendship means parallel the lessons she is learning during the day in her grandmother’s village.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The vivid imagery of the creatures and characters Saki encounters during the Night Parade is strongly reminiscent of the Hayao Miyazaki films I’ve seen, and I believe it would greatly appeal to middle school students who enjoy them. Additionally, I think the juxtaposition of the technology and modern culture obsessed Saki with the traditional legend of the Night Parade offer an accessible avenue for readers not familiar with the culture to enter and enjoy it. I would strongly recommend this as a purchase for all collections serving 10 to 13 year olds.

Filed under: Middle School Monday

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Robin Willis

After working in middle school libraries for over 20 years, Robin Willis now works in a public library system in Maryland.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

May 2017

(Not so) Middle School Monday: In Which I Attend a State Library Conference

by Robin Willis

May 2017

Middle School Monday: Teens, Body Image and Wonder Woman

by Robin Willis

April 2017

Middle School Monday: Fangirling from Afar

by Robin Willis

March 2017

Middle School Monday: Jumpstart Creative Writing with Storybird Poetry

by Robin Willis

February 2017

Middle School Monday: Mondays that Don’t Sparkle

by Robin Willis

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Name That LEGO Book Cover! (#44)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Ellen Myrick Publisher Preview: Fall 2023/Winter 2024 (Part Six – Diamond, Eye of Newt, & Floris Books)

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Squire & Knight | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

More Mock-Newbery Titles Needed: Share June Suggestions Now

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Top 25 Titles at My School: Graphic Novels and Mauds Reign Supreme!

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Trying Something New: SPEED ROUND w/ Marla Frazee, Doug Salati, Dan Santat, and Amina Luqman-Dawson

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

2 Middle Grade Novels About Becoming Big Sisters

From Red Herrings to Whodunits: 14 Awesome Middle Grade Mysteries | Summer Reading 2020

Three Resonant Historical Fiction Books for Young Readers

10 Titles Featuring Twins for Middle Grade and YA Readers

21 Insightful, Accessible, & Fun Books that Tweens Won't Want to Put Down | We Are Kid Lit Collective

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023