Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind (Momo Arashima #1)

A Japanese American 12-year-old must procure a magical artifact to save the world from monsters in this rollicking series opener by Sugiura (Love & Other Natural Disasters). Momo Arashima's widowed mother raised her on stories about Japanese gods, called kami, and monsters, called yo¯kai. Momo also "tended to see things no one else could see," often confusing her supernatural visions with reality, and leading to her getting bullied by classmates and feeling like an outsider at Oak Valley Middle School. Her life becomes even more challenging, though, when she's attacked by a Japanese death hag and saved by a magical fox named Niko as well as bully Danny Haragan, a former Japanese friend adopted by white parents. Momo soon learns that her mother is a Shinto goddess, guardian of the Island of Mysteries, and that demons have escaped from the underworld into the mortal plane. To protect humankind, Momo, Danny, and Niko must travel across heaven and earth for an enchanted sword to defeat the yo¯kai. Culturally specific details imbue this roller-coaster-feeling magical plot with authenticity and intrigue, while Momo's smart, funny narration and slowly reforming relationship with Danny ground their adventure in a thoughtful friendship tale. Ages 8-12. (Feb.)