Children's Review: The Night Parade

{On Goodreads}

I tend to lean towards European literature, so when an opportunity to read Katheryn Tanquary's The Night Parade popped up, I thought I'd better indulge in a new culture. I'm so glad I did because The Night Parade was among my favorite children's books read this year. The story follows Saki, a typical thirteen year-old girl who's forced to accompany her family on a trip to visit her grandmother for Obon, a three-day festival in which families honor the spirits of their ancestors. That's the first thing that I love about this book: it highlights and celebrates Japanese culture in such an interesting way. Tanquary wove the culture into the book so seamlessly that the reader can follow Saki's journey as she moves from resenting the antiquated traditions to celebrating the unique way in which the small village has remained true to its culture, all while learning an incredible amount about Japanese family structures and traditions. 

Saki carelessly (and accidentally) invites a maleficent spirit into her world with the opening ceremony on the first night of Obon. For each night of the festival, she ventures into the spirit world in an attempt to lift the curse. While she navigates the rules of this strange new world, she is guided by a series of spirits. During the day, Saki must also navigate the social scene in her grandmother's small village-- this is where Tanquary does an excellent job of capturing the young teen mindset and writing from that perspective. Saki's encounters with the other children her age force her to reflect on her friendships at home in Tokyo. From the lessons she learns in both the real and spirit world, Saki has a change of heart and finds herself more in touch with her family and her heritage. I loved the resolution of the book and found that the lessons hidden within were ones that young readers could identify with and reflect on after reading. The spiritual elements of this book place it under the fantasy category, but I felt that it was an unconventional type of fantasy. The connection with the Japanese folklore reminded me a lot of the films by Hayao Miyazaki, so if you've enjoyed those films I suggest picking up this book after it's publication on January 5th!

Bottom Line Rating: 4/5

Title: The Night Parade

Author: Kathryn Tanquary

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
ISBN:1492623245
Price: Pre-order from Amazon for $12.98
Format: e-ARC
Source: Netgalley

Expected Publication Date: January 5, 2016

Note: Top Shelf Text was provided with a copy of this text by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

Books and Beverages, The Shoppe

Hi all, and happy holidays!

No matter how you choose to celebrate, I hope that you've found this season to be full of love and gratitude. I am feeling extra grateful for my family and that we've had time to all hang out before my brother and I are off again (him, on another golf adventure in Georgia, and me, for my last semester of grad school)!

Since we're approaching New Years Eve, I'm inevitably thinking about how to improve my habits in the new year. One of my goals for 2016 is to be better about planning blog content, and thanks to Books and Beverages, The Shoppe, I'm feeling extra prepared.

Let me introduce you to The Book Blogger's Planner.

Gorgeous, isn't it? You can get your own here!

 Jamie, the blogger and genius behind the design, was kind enough to send me one of her new planners (just launched this month!) and I have been obsessing over it. Want to hear me rave about it? Keep reading.

First things first, the planner was made in collaboration with May Designs, my favorite company of all time. I gifted their notebooks to all of my friends for Christmas, and I'm known to hoard them for myself (I can see four from where I'm sitting, no joke). It's the perfect size for tucking into your purse, and the cover is this gorgeous canvas that really holds up well to wear over time.

Inside the planner you'll find a few features:

- Blank, two-page spreads for writing in the months. My only complaint is that these cover only six months (which seems to go by in a flash), but I'm sure six months from now I'll be happy to snag a fresh planner.

- This weekly spread is great for keeping track of posts (in my case, it actually covers more than one week's worth of content), and also for jotting notes or a to-do list to keep things in check.

- A spot to write down all of the books that you read (I keep track of mine on Goodreads but I think I'll track my 2016 reads in here as well).

- And last but not least, a place to jot down all of your favorite quotes! This has to be my favorite feature. 

Obviously if you're a fellow book blogger, you need this planner in you're life. And if you're not a blogger, but you have one in your life, then you obviously need to buy it for him/her. 

Oh, and really quickly, let me point you to the other products you can find in The Shoppe, because whether or not you're a blogger, if you're a bookworm there's something for you too! Find all the products below (and a few more) here!

iPad covers (for iPad Mini & iPad Air)

For the Love of Literature Postcards (so adorable, I'm framing mine!)

Bookmarks! I'm partial to C.S. Lewis's "Do not dare not to dare."

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Disclaimer: 

These items were received c/o Books and Beverages, The Shoppe, in exchange for celebrating the launch of The Shoppe. All opinions are my own (and I promise, I really do love them)!