The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy Book Four: Uncle Yuta Has An Adventure

by Claire Youmans

Overview

When your closest friend is the Dragon King, your niece, nephew and their friends are dual-natured and your country hurtles towards an uncertain future, your life is bound to be complicated.  Azuki and Shota’s Uncle Yuta must keep his household safe and happy while they strive to adapt to the constant change that is Meiji-era Japan.  Azuki’s new loom is already obsolete.  Renko discovers new draconic abilities, stirring her parents into action as she finds her family expanding.  Tsuruko’s husband can’t come to terms with her dual nature yet they will soon have a child – but will it be human, crane or both?  Shota’s bolder than ever as he and the horses experiment with inter-species communication.  There’s no end to Yuta’s challenges!

Now, with a new Western suit and fashionable short hair, he’s off to Tokyo for a conference that will change education in Japan forever as he meets people who will change his future as they change their country.  Can he successfully guide his family through the storm of change that surrounds them?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780990323488
Publisher:	american i
Publication date:	06/27/2017
Series:	Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy , #4
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Claire Youmans has traveled extensively in Japan since 1992, and likes it very much. "It's a very alien culture for me," she says. "Yet, it is the oldest consistent culture on earth I know of, and has survived and prospered, I think, because of that consistent culture. The more I research, the more I know, the better I speak the language, the more I think foreigners can learn from Japanese culture. We certainly need to understand it much better than we do to be able to gainfully interact with it. That sounds stuffy, but it's very interesting and the period and people I've chosen are so much fun to write. The books are full of action, adventure, growth, problems, and solutions, with normal life intersecting with the fantastical at every turn, and history getting in the way. I truly enjoy writing these books, and they are great, exciting, and fun to read." A lifelong writer, Youmans found her writing niche in The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy series. Designed for MG/Tween readers through adults, the books grow as the children do, raising surprisingly modern issues in the context of the chaotic Meiji era, when Japan leapt headlong onto the world stage. By incorporating folklore, Youmans can overcome some of the limitations of a less instantaneous time and showcase the Japanese character through the ways people are affected by the constant change. "Japanese folklore is fluid," Youmans says. "The basic stories are simple and often seem unfinished, but almost any complication or ending one can imagine, further research will show that somebody's grandmother somewhere told the story that way. It's so much fun! I wish my Japanese was better so I could access literary sources on site better than I can even with frequent trips and access to the Internet. Those reasons are why I'm moving to Japan to continue the series." Folklore also allows the exploration of themes and issues modern children and adults face. The resolutions, though, are often peculiarly Japanese. "I am very happy that Japanese readers think I have accomplished my purpose and accurately portray Japanese culture for a Western audience," Youmans says. Youmans has retired from a long career as a lawyer, and lives, for the moment, in California, where she skis and sails as much as she can.