An American girl is sent to live in Japan, where her aunt
lives, after the death of her mother. Adapting to the
culture, food and language is hard enough for the gaijin,
foreigner, but she walks into an awkward situation at
school as well. Katie has got the hang of bowing to the
teacher, and joins the Tea Ceremony club with her girl pal
Yuki, but she is caught eavesdropping on an older boy
breaking up unpleasantly with his girlfriend. Social
standing is very important to the Japanese and the boy,
Tomohiro, is not pleased. Later Katie is doodling in class
and her INK drawings seem to come to life, scaring her. But
that can't happen, can it?
Cherry blossoms are unfolding, making everyone happy, and
Katie feels a little less homesick as she carries a bentou
box of food for a class picnic. Tomohiro has given up
calligraphy class for kendo, fencing with bamboo swords,
and Katie fees like being assertive, so she joins too.
Tomo also is an excellent artist, and Katie wants to become
friendly with him, but he has a dangerous reputation. His
ink drawings do come to life, she realises as she gets to
know him, and even the bird images are hostile. Why does
she like him so much? And what will happen when he draws a
dragon?
In Japan the students take turns to clean the school, there
are two thousand written characters to learn and everyone
drinks green tea and rides the bullet train. I found the
location very well described with lots of little quirks;
doubtless the Japanese would find our lifestyle just as
amusing. Although the Japanese traditionally value
blending in, today's young people are shown to dye or
bleach their hair, with an evening of melon sodas in a
karaoke bar as entertainment. The book contains some
lovely line drawings, from a wagtail or horse to an
elongated dragon.
Amanda Sun has described a culture clash and an
interesting, smart heroine, in a modern fantasy which
occasionally turns dark. Japanese words are clearly
explained at the time of use and there is a glossary at the
back; words like moshi moshi, for hello, while on the
keitai, or mobile phone. INK will be enjoyed by young
adults and art students anywhere.
On the heels of a family
tragedy, Katie Greene must move halfway across the world.
Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost.
Alone. She doesn't know the language, she can barely hold a
pair of chopsticks and she can't seem to get the hang of
taking her shoes off whenever she enters a
building.
When Katie meets aloof but gorgeous
Tomohiro, the star of the school's kendo team, she is
intrigued by him…and a little scared. His tough attitude
seems meant to keep her at a distance, and when they're near
each other, strange things happen. Pens explode. Ink drips
from nowhere. And unless Katie is seeing things, drawings
come to life.
Somehow Tomo is connected to the
kami, powerful ancient beings who once ruled Japan—and as
feelings develop between Katie and Tomo, things begin to
spiral out of control. The wrong people are starting to ask
questions, and if they discover the truth, no one will be
safe.
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