Nahoko Uehashi's THE BEAST PLAYER

My reading habits are determined by how deeply I can focus at any given time. For the PhD, I have to be pretty darn focused to read some of the densely academic tomes required for my research. But at bedtime, I prefer something lighter. That's when I read for fun.
     Enter, The Beast Player written by Nahoko Uehashi and translated into English by Cathy Hirano.Not only is it a 2020 Michael L. Printz Award honor book for best young adult novel. This is a beautifully written, scene-rich story of a girl who finds a way to connect with the magical beasts in her world. I can't share much more without giving away too much, although I will recommend it highly. That said, the ending left me hanging in such a way that I immediately got online to see if there was a sequel in the works. HA! Little did I know...
     The story of Erin and her harp has been a long-beloved story in Japan, where it originated. Not only are there four books in the series, it has also been turned into a Manga version, and an anime series. CLICK HERE to read about it's extensive reach into Japanese culture. Happily, you can watch the English-dubbed anime version online at Crunchyroll, which I hope to do soon. All I can say is, how lucky are we Americans that we get to immerse ourselves in this world that Japan has been enjoying for quite some time now. (Much like The Witcher from Poland.) Although, we still have to wait for the sequels to get translated. PAH! I need to learn Japanese.

Henry Holt sent me a review copy, which I thoroughly enjoyed!