The House of the Lost on the Cape - by Sachiko Kashiwaba (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A 2024 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Honoree

A 2024 USBBY Outstanding International Book

One of Kirkus Reviews' 10 Essential Middle-Grade Books for Fall 2023 -- Starred Review

One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Middle-Grade Family Stories of 2023

A 2023 Cybils Awards Finalist for Speculative Middle Grade Fiction

From the author and translator of the Batchelder Award-winning novel Temple Alley Summer comes the moving story of three generations of women adapting to their new home, and its mythical inhabitants, in the tragic aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake disaster.

In the wake of a devastating earthquake and tsunami, Yui, fleeing her violent husband, and Hiyori, a young orphan, are taken in by a strange but kind old lady named Kiwa in the small town of Kitsunezaki​​. The newly formed family finds refuge in a mayoiga, a lost house, perched atop a beautiful cape overlooking the sea. While helping to rebuild Kitsunezaki, the three adapt to their new lives and supernatural new home, slowly healing from their troubled pasts. Kiwa regales Yui and Hiyori with local legends--from the shapeshifting fox-woman who used to roam the mountains, to the demon Agamé and a sea snake who once terrorized the townspeople, preying upon their grief and fears until they trapped the snake and the demon's claws in an underwater cave.

But when mysterious and sinister events start happening around town, the three fear the worst. Did the earthquake release Agamé and the sea snake into the world again? Kiwa, Yui, and Hiyori join forces with a merry band of kappa river spirits, a bold zashiki warashi house spirit, and flying Jizō guardian statues to save their new family and home and banish Agamé and the snake once and for all. Now a hit anime film, The House of the Lost on the Cape is a heartwarming tale about the strength of family and friendship in the face of natural and mythical forces.

Review Quotes

"The tender emotions following collective trauma are skillfully blended with the riveting supernatural action. . . . A powerful story of healing." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"This heartfelt novel by a popular Japanese children's author . . . centers found family, weaving folklore, and magic into a tale of healing in the wake of natural disaster." --Kirkus Reviews' 10 Essential Middle-Grade Books for Fall 2023

"Kashiwaba's moody work teems with ambient wonder and grim portent, offering glimpses of darkness without overwhelming the narrative's uplifting tone." --Publishers Weekly

"In this lightly magical novel, three women from different generations are brought together in the aftermath of the Tōhuku earthquake and tsunami: an orphaned girl, a woman fleeing an abusive marriage, and an elderly grandmother with no immediate family. The story unfolds in flowing language, and the black-and-white drawings sweetly accompany the mystical tale. Hiyori's desire to find her voice and save her new family unfolds beautifully and will be treasured by many. Kashiwaba's novel was originally published in serialized form in 2014, with an anime film adaptation in 2021 commemorating the 10th anniversary of the tragedy; this English translation will reach even more young fans of Japanese fantasy and found-family stories." --Michele Shaw, School Library Journal

"Kashiwaba has a knack for world-building that seamlessly fuses the real with the fantastical. She gently guides readers through difficult subjects like trauma, death, and grief while offering a healthy dose of humor and hope. Avery Fischer Udagawa's lucid English translation and Yukiko Saito's charming black and white illustrations all help to make this beautiful, moving tale accessible to a global readership." -- Kelly Zhang, Words Without Borders

"Think Diana Wynne Jones . . . but with a firm grip on storytelling and Japanese folklore, interspersed with contemporary mystery fiction . . . it is a powerful combination." -- GeekDad

"A must read for fans of disasters, magical creatures, found families, and Studio Ghibli films." --Kristen Harvey, Mrs. Harvey's Library

"The House of the Lost on the Cape is a layered, heart-gripping story with characters that you cannot help but feel so much for. We are so lucky to have this, and Obāchan's stories, with us." -- Denise Tan, Closetful of Books (Singapore)

"Folktales, fantasy, and reality collide in this magical and powerful story." --Paula Holmes, World Kid Lit

"Udagawa left a huge number of Japanese words and cultural references in her translation and explained them with stealth glosses. . . . The technique provides a lot of information about Japan in general and life in the Tohoku region in particular and about Japanese folklore--it's part of what I liked best about the book." --Alison Fincher, Read Japanese Literature

"This magical found-family fantasy is nourishment for readers of all ages. It's a story of healing for the characters, yes--but also the sort of book that heals the reader, too." --Marcia Lynx Qualey, translator of Wild Poppies by Haya Saleh

"Kashiwaba's story focuses on a determined female trio who choose to create new lives for themselves in a town decimated by the tsunami, but still full of acceptance and resilience--both human and supernatural. An engaging read, ultra-smooth translation, illustrations that neatly set the scenes, and plenty to learn about life in a Japanese village." --Deborah Iwabuchi, SCBWI Japan Translation Group

About the Author

Sachiko Kashiwaba is a prolific writer of children's and young adult fantasy whose career spans more than four decades. Her works have garnered the prestigious Sankei, Shogakukan, and Noma children's literature awards, and her novel The Marvelous Village Veiled in Mist influenced Hayao Miyazaki's film Spirited Away. Her works have recently been animated as the films The Wonderland and The House of the Lost on the Cape. Her novel Temple Alley Summer, illustrated by Miho Satake and translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa, won the American Library Association's 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Award, was a July/August 2021 Kids' Indie Next Pick, and a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. She lives in Morioka, Iwate.

Yukiko Saito is a graphic designer and illustrator originally from Aomori, Japan. She studied textile arts in the fine arts and crafts teacher training program within the Faculty of Education, Iwate University. She lives in Iwate Prefecture.

Avery Fischer Udagawa grew up in Kansas and studied English and Asian Studies at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She holds an MA in advanced Japanese studies from the University of Sheffield. She has studied at Nanzan University, Nagoya, on a Fulbright fellowship, and at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies, Yokohama. She writes, translates and works in international education near Bangkok, where she lives with her bicultural family.