Description

SHORTLISTED for the CARNEGIE GREENAWAY AWARD 2022

Fifteen-year-old Yuki is struggling at school with her confidence, and goes to Japan to stay with her grandfather, a well-known manga artist and to whom she is very close. But during her visit, a calamitous event occurs – the March 2011 East Coast Earthquake and Tsunami – and her beloved Grandpa is lost.

Yuki and her friend Taka must make sense of the terrible situation and come to terms with the loss of their life as they knew it – and see that through renewal and with resilience, they can emerge from this tragedy with optimism for the future. Interwoven with Japanese folk tales, modern-day ghost stories, and the creation of her very own vibrant manga hero, Yuki finds the courage to overcome extraordinary odds, and take her first steps into the world that lies beyond catastrophe.

Told through both prose and manga, this story for young adults will touch the heart of any reader.

‘Impressive and Original’ – Financial Times
‘Breathtakingly Powerful’ – LoveReading

Publisher Review

Tsunami Girl, a narrative with manga inserts, is a unique collaboration between author Julian Sedgewick and illustrator Chie Kutsuwada. It’s another impressive and original title from this recently established publishing house. * Financial Times * Another must-read graphic novel is Tsunami Girl. Inspired by the events of the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, it is a coming of age tale like no other. The story focuses on survivor Yuki Hara Jones, and her experience of events and the aftermath of the disaster. Through art and the creation of a manga superhero called Half-Wave, Yuki is able to process her grief and begin to embrace her future. Sedgwick’s prose is heart-warming and heart wrenching in equal measure, and Kutsuwada’s illustrations really bring Half-Wave to life. * The Scotsman * With powerful, emotional manga from Japanese manga artist, Chie Kutsuwada, this is a highly-original coming-of-age story. * Achuka * An incredibly intense and atmospheric read – the prose descriptions of the disaster and its aftermath are breathtakingly powerful… a story suffused with Japanese legend and modern-day ghost stories. The superb drawings seamlessly reveal the other worldly and spiritual nature of Yuki and Taka’s story and the multi-layered whole becomes a truly immersive and compulsive reading experience that will linger long in a reader’s thoughts. Highly recommended. * Joy Court, Lovereading.co.uk * The most thought-provoking story that I’ve read for a long time. * Mr Ripley’s Enchanted Books *