Temple Alley Summer

By Sachiko Kashiwaba, Miho Satake (Illustrator), Avery Fischer Udagawa (Translator)

A boy encounters a mysterious girl linked to a temple's secret of life and death.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 1,990 ratings

240 pages· 52,245 words· Est. 6 hour read

$18.00Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Kazu's world turns upside down when he spots a girl in a white kimono sneaking out of his house. The next day, she appears in his classroom, and everyone insists she's always been there. As Kazu investigates Kimyo Temple, he uncovers a legend about reviving the dead. With his enigmatic classmate Akari, they must unravel the temple's secrets and protect its power. An unfinished story from Akari's past might hold the key to her existence, but can they solve the mystery before adults thwart their quest for truth?

From the publisher

Winner of the 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder AwardA July/August 2021 Kids’ Indie Next PickA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard SelectionWinner of a 2022 SCBWI Crystal Kite AwardFrom renowned Japanese children’s author Sachiko Kashiwaba, Temple Alley Summer is a fantastical and mysterious adventure filled with the living dead, a magical pearl, and a suspiciously nosy black cat named Kiriko featuring beautiful illustrations from Miho Satake.Kazu knows something odd is going on when he sees a girl in a white kimono sneak out of his house in the middle of the night–was he dreaming? Did he see a ghost? Things get even stranger when he shows up to school the next day to see the very same figure sitting in his classroom. No one else thinks it’s weird, and, even though Kazu doesn’t remember ever seeing her before, they all seem convinced that the ghost-girl Akari has been their friend for years! When Kazu’s summer project to learn about Kimyo Temple draws the meddling attention of his mysterious neighbor Ms. Minakami and his secretive new classmate Akari, Kazu soon learns that not everything is as it seems in his hometown. Kazu discovers that Kimyo Temple is linked to a long forgotten legend about bringing the dead to life, which could explain Akari’s sudden appearance–is she a zombie or a ghost? Kazu and Akari join forces to find and protect the source of the temple’s power. An unfinished story in a magazine from Akari’s youth might just hold the key to keeping Akari in the world of the living, and it’s up to them to find the story’s ending and solve the mystery as the adults around them conspire to stop them from finding the truth.