TEMPLE ALLEY SUMMER

Narrator Traci Kato-Kiriyama infuses this charming translated novel with the perfect sense of dreamy wonder. Practical Kazu doesn't really believe in ghosts. But there is a new girl at school whom everyone else seems to know, and he could swear he first saw her in the moonlight outside his house. Kato-Kiriyama's voice for Kazu is bright and a little husky, just right for a boy who is beginning to leave boyhood behind. She delivers engaging character voices for Kazu's companions, including sweetly innocent Akari and imperious Mrs. Minakami and her sneaky cat, Kiriko. The narration of the manga story within the story has a more wistful tone. Listeners will feel transported--not only to Japan but also to fantastical worlds beyond. N.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2022]