Japan
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
By Nahoko Uehashi, Cathy Hirano (Translator), Yuko Shimizu (Illustrator)
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. Nahoko Uehashi. Translated by Cathy Hirano. Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008. Originally published as 精霊の守り人 (Seirei no moribito) in Japanese by Kaisei-Sha Publishing Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, in 1996. ISBN 9780545005425. 272 p. (Ages 10-14). Fiction.
From the publisher: “Balsa was a wanderer and warrior for hire. Then she rescued a boy flung into a raging river -- and at that moment, her destiny changed. Now Balsa must protect the boy on his quest to deliver the great egg of the water spirit to its source in the sea.” Winner of 2009 Batchelder Award and selected for the 2009 ALSC Notable Children’s Book List. The sequel, Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness won a 2010 Batchelder Honor. Author won the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2014. [all]
India
Maithili and the Minotaur: Web of Woe
By C.G. Salamander, Rajiv Eipe (Illustrator)
Maithili and the Minotaur: Web of Woe. C. G. Salamander. Illustrated by Rajiv Eipe. Puffin Books, 2021. ISBN 9780143455189. 64 p. (Ages 10 and up). Graphic Novel.
Maithili, an outcast in the human world, befriends monsters and goes on a journey of outlandish adventures with her friends. This book is one in the Outlandish Graphic Novel Series and is perfect for readers who love stories about monsters and adventures. Would pair with Natsume’s Book of Friends by Yuki Midorikawa and the Hilda series by Luke Pearson. The author is based in Chennai, India, and is a writer and comic journalist. Salamander loves to write in horror, humor, and fantasy genres. Here is an interview with the author. [mi]