Review of The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy (series)

[Ethan Howe]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy (series)" by Claire Youmans.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy (series) is a children’s fantasy and historical fiction novel by Claire Youmans. The plot is built during the time when the Japanese culture was starting to mix with the Western culture. The author is an American who has done research about the Japanese culture. It is the third novel in the The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy series. It is narrated from the author’s point of view.

Azuki, Shota and Renko are dual-natured beings. Azuki can change from a human being to a toki bird. Shota can change to a sparrow. Renko changes to a dragon. Azuki is Shota’s sister, while Renko is their close friend. Shota has a strong liking for Renko. They live with their uncle, Yuta. A need for a senior dual-natured being raises when Azuki gets ill. There is a myth in this about a crane girl. Shota embarks on a mission to find this mythical creature while disobeying his uncle. Will he be able to find the crane girl? Umi-bozus attack humans. Why are they attacking?

Respect of elders is an important lesson got from reading this novel. Uncle Yuta loves and cares for both Shota and Azuki. Shota disobeys his uncle at some point in the storyline. Although his disobedience yields results, uncle Yuta insists that he should still be punished. This shows the importance of being obedient and respectful towards elders.

The thing that I liked most about the novel is that it shows the dangers of pollution. The feelings of water animals towards humans that pollute their habitats are depicted in this tale. It shows the opinions of people about their culture. The tale is built in a time when two different cultures were starting to mix. I disliked it that the scenes are poorly developed. Claire Youmans mentions a few details about the scenes in the novel.

I rate it 3 out of 4 stars because of the reasons mentioned above. I recommend it to people who want to know more about the Japanese culture. People who enjoy reading novels with creatures like dragons will also enjoy it. It is educational for children. It is exceptionally well-edited.

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The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy (series)
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[markodim721]

It is commendable that one hundred books point to the dangers of pollution. It is a pity that the scenes are not better developed. Thanks for the objective review.

[Hana_Fabro]

I want to read this book because I believe that it will teach me a lot about Japanese culture. I also believe that this book will be loved by the children. Thanks for your lovely review.

[Hyacinth Bella]

I haven't seen any children's book that is in historical fiction, maybe it's because children don't often read those. I would like to read this one and see how it is written. Thank you for the lovely review!

[Kirsi Cultrera]

The cover picture of this book is amazingly beautiful. The story and the characters sound...well... very Japanese. I imagine this would be a good read for kids interested in Japanese culture. I also like that it teaches to respect elders. That is something we all ought to learn.

Thank you for the nice review!

[Diana Wiafe]

This book is very helpful to everyone on. And how interesting Japanese culture is, we ought learn something from it mainly kids

[Ellylion]

I am fascinated with the Japanese culture and would love to check this book out. Sorry about the issues tho. Thanks for your honest review!