Showing results by narrator "Allison Hiroto" in All Categories

Award-winning novelist Minae Mizumura demystifies the notion of the selfless Japanese mother and the adult daughter honor-bound to care for her. Mitsuki Katsura, a Japanese woman in her mid-50s, is a French-language instructor at a private university in Tokyo. Her husband, whom she met in Paris, is a professor at another private university. He is having an affair with a much younger woman. In addition to her husband's infidelity, Mitsuki must deal with her ailing 80-something mother.

From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a stand-alone fantasy set against a war-ravaged world where kindling warfare—the use of elite, magic-wielding teenage soldiers—has been outlawed. In this rich and evocative novel, seven kindlings search for purpose and identity as...

When Tokyo falls victim to a deadly terrorist attack, Detective Sergeant Mariko Oshiro knows who is responsible, even if she doesn't have proof. She urges her commanding officers to arrest the perpetrator - an insane zealot who was just released from police custody. When her pleas fall on deaf ears, she loses her temper and then her badge, as well as her best chance of fighting back.

For fans of Sarah Dessen and Mary H.K. Choi, this lyrical and emotionally driven novel follows Alina, a young aspiring dancer who suffers a devastating injury and must face a world without ballet—as well as the darker side of her former dream. Alina Keeler was destined to dance, but then a...

Detective Sergeant Mariko Oshiro has been promoted to Japan's elite Narcotics unit - and with this promotion comes a new partner, a new case, and new danger. The underboss of a powerful yakuza crime syndicate has put a price on her head, and he'll lift the bounty only if she retrieves an ancient iron demon mask that was stolen from him in a daring raid. However, Mariko has no idea of the tumultuous past carried within the mask - or of its deadly link with the famed Inazuma blade she wields.

Mariko Oshiro is not your average Tokyo cop. As the only female detective in the city’s most elite police unit, she has to fight for every ounce of respect, especially from her new boss. While she wants to track down a rumored cocaine shipment, he gives her the least promising case possible. But the case - the attempted theft of an old samurai sword - proves more dangerous than anyone on the force could have imagined.

At first glance, the death of media mogul “Big Bill” Argosy appears to be suicide. But his widow, Laila, thinks otherwise. Because Big Bill made enemies - lots of them. And he’d rather fight to the death than take his own life. When the authorities refuse to investigate, Laila turns to the one person who can see connections in the universe where others can’t: Zip Ono, a young private investigator - and practicing Buddhist. Zip quickly learns that there’s no shortage of suspects who might very well want Argosy dead.

In this mesmerizing sequel to the New York Times bestseller Girls of Paper and Fire, Lei and Wren have escaped the oppression of the Hidden Palace, but their freedom comes at a terrible cost. Lei, the naive country girl who became a royal courtesan, is now known as the Moonchosen, the commoner...

Four starred reviews! A Kirkus Reviews Best YA Nonfiction of 2021 In this “riveting and indispensable” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) narrative history of Japanese Americans before, during, and after their World War II incarceration, Susan H. Kamei weaves together the voices of over 130...

Tomoe turns to religion to escape her past, but destiny is not through with her yet. The young girl crashes through the underbrush, desperate to escape the cackling soldiers at her back. After catching her in a tryst with a local farmboy, they intend to execute her for her sin. She runs for as long as she can, finally collapsing outside a shrine where a traveling nun sits with her flute. When the soldiers arrive, the nun sets her flute aside, drawing a legendary sword.

In all of Naipon, there is no samurai more famous than Tomoe Gozen. Her skill with the blade is legendary, her honor unquestioned, and evil men everywhere fear her name. No challenge is too great for Tomoe, but she is not ready for marriage.

A deeply personal and shocking look at how China is coming to terms with its conflicted past as it emerges into a modern, cutting-edge superpower. Through the stories of three generations of women in her family, Karoline Kan, a former New York Times reporter based in Beijing, reveals how they...

As the late-emperor's first-born, Princess Lu knows the throne rightfully belongs to her. She also can't forget her promise to shape-shifter Nok, the boy she loves, to win justice for his now powerless people. Yet even with an army at her side, Lu must face a major obstacle: the current empress, her younger sister, Min. Princess Min used to live in Lu's shadow. Now she wields an ancient magic, one she's determined to use to forge her own path for the empire, even if that means making enemies in court.

Humans have always been fascinated by darkness. Especially the darkness of a city at night, when the black sky is made ever more inky by the pools of illumination dropped under streetlights. Whether the mean streets be in an alternate past charmed with dark magic or the dirty alleyways of futuristic crowded space stations, the city—and its darkened streets—will always fascinate us. Here then, an anthology of all new stories of science fiction and fantasy with a hardboiled noir twist that acknowledge that the city is a living, breathing entity...and it isn’t always on our side.

Eight-year-old Jasmine and her family travel to Hiroshima to visit her grandma and cousin Akari. After finally building a good relationship with her older sister, Sophie, Jasmine couldn't be more excited to spend time together in Japan—and make a new friend in Akari. But Akari seems to only want to play with Sophie, and Jasmine's jealousy threatens to upend their visit. Can Jasmine befriend Akari and keep the peace?

Japan is awesome but Jasmine is beginning to miss home and her best friend, Linnie. She’s hoping her next adventure to a village called Kabo, where her grandmother grew up, is just what she needs to get out of this rut. Jasmine is pleased to find out there’s a beach, tangerine grove, and even a local festival to attend. She is hoping to explore with her big sister, Sophie. But, walnuts! Sophie is no fun. All she wants to do is read her Japanese manga and stay inside. If Jasmine’s best friend Linnie was there, she’d definitely play with her, so why won’t Sophie?

Eight-year-old Jasmine Toguchi is now an expert on travel and doesn't want summer to end! In this final book chronicling her family vacation in Japan, she visits Kyoto. And wowee zowee, on this vacation there is still lots more to see. This is their last stop, and Jasmine is thrilled to be enjoying the city with her older sister, Sophie, and her Obaachan who teaches her how to live in the moment. Sad to see their trip coming to an end, in true Jasmine fashion, she hatches a plan.

The Itos have finally been allowed to return home to California—but nothing is as they left it. The entire Japanese American community is starting from scratch, with thousands of people living in dismal refugee camps while they struggle to find new houses and jobs in over-crowded Los Angeles. Aki is working as a nurse’s aide at the Japanese Hospital in Boyle Heights when an elderly Issei man is admitted with suspicious injuries. When she seeks out his son, she is shocked to recognize her husband’s best friend, Babe Watanabe. Could Babe be guilty of elder abuse?

Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories brings together 15 stories that span Hisaye Yamamoto's 40-year career. It was her first book to be published in the United States. Yamamoto's themes include the cultural conflicts between the first generation, the Issei and their children, the Nisei; coping with prejudice; and the World War II internment of Japanese Americans.

Toothbrush? Check. Her special journal? Check! Eight-year-old Jasmine Toguchi—flamingo fan, tree climber, and top-notch messmaker—can hardly wait for her family vacation to Japan, and by the time their plane finally touches down, she’s ready to dive into their new adventure. There are so many things to see in Tokyo: Ramen Street, which she learns is not a whole street made of ramen; old temples with fancy gates; and Tokyo Tower, where you can even spot Mount Fuji on a good day.