Winner of the 2008 NAUTILUS GOLD AWARD in the category of Young Adult Fiction/FantasyWinner of the 2008 MOM'S CHOICE GOLD AWARD in the category of juvenile fiction (ages 9-12)Miho's backyard had always been the sea. The creatures within it were an endless source of fascination. But when the sea steals away her small family, she finds herself the ward of an uncle she has never met and submerged in a world she has never known: Japan. From the city of Nagoya to the seaside town of Goza, Miho struggles to fit in and navigate the language, the culture and her own grief. It is in Goza that she discovers her surprising family history and finds new teachers. She is befriended by an old man who becomes her Sensei and teaches her Sho-do, The Way of the Brush. And it is there she meets Gaia, the living entity of the Earth. Gaia grants her amazing powers to connect with the "minds in the water" and Miho is given access and understanding to all the world's oceans. Will she be able to use her powers to help balance the traditions of the past with the demands of the present? Can she overcome her outsider status to help others understand The Way of Water?
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Addressing the important topic of animal conservation, the third book in the...
This is a new YA series from Chelsea Green, and they sent me the second book because I ordered the first one sight unseen. With all the series books written for kids, why not one that promotes Gaia-consciousness? It was engaging, interesting, a little melodramatic (but then most teen lit is). When her parents, scientists studying whale songs and migration, are lost at sea, ten-year-old Miho is sent to live with an uncle she has never met halfway around the world in Japan. Uncle is a chain-smoking, overworked batchelor, and Miho misses the ocean, her parents, and keeps having dreams of a sea otter that she chased after instead of joining her parents on their ill-fated final trip. Then Uncle announces they are going to the family home on the coast for a holiday, and Miho's life suddenly switches into high gear. Totally believable. I think this book will be welcomed by any kid who has slogged through their fair share of books, wondering why so few of them push anything other than a manifest destiny/dominion over the earth mindset.
How is it that the second book is as good as the first in the series (Enter the Earth)? I love how Miho represents someone familiar yet foreign. I also appreciate how the book can stand alone, yet how Way of Water ties to Enter the Earth. I enjoyed learning about Japanese culture, especially shodo. It makes me sad and angry to know that the tragedies of the dolphins in this book are real. I enjoyed Miho's powers of water and communication, as well as the changing dynamic of her relationship with her uncle. I've been checking Amazon.com for several years now in anticipation of the 3rd book, Air Apparent. I've heard this is supposed to be a seven book series. I am a educator, and I've shared these books with several of my students. I'd love for them to be able to continue the series. Lee, how's your progress? You have my #1 next read in your imagination! I miss Gaia Girls!
It is a very interesting book. It teaches you a lot about what is happening to our earth; the destruction that is taking place. Miho, a Japanese American girl, a gaijin, has to live with her uncle in Japan. This is where all of the exciting things happen. Anybody should read this. It is actually an awesome book.
REALLY GOOD BOOK IT IS A MUST READ FOR OCEANLOVER AND TREEE HUGGERS
This book annoyed me on several levels. I read Gaia Girls: Enter the Earth a while ago, so I figured that since it was a local author and the first book was decent, I would keep plugging away. Now I'm a little sorry (although, I will probably still borrow the forthing coming couple out of the library when they arrive). 1) PREACHY. Yeah, I knew that, but this one was possibly even moreso than the first - and not just about water stuff. If I read the line "stinky cigarettes" one more time... (and I don't like cigarette smoke either. But, come up with some other adjectives!) 2) OH FOR PETE'S SAKE. First off, "haishi?" I thought chopsticks were "hashi." And when she describes Oji-san's house, she says it has "a living room with a kitchen off of it, one bedroom, and a bathroom." Does that mean the toilet is in the same room as the bath? Because that would be really unusual in a Japanese house or apartment, wouldn't it? I can understand eliminating the "confusing silent u" in the Japanese words... I suppose. Maybe. 3) Serious proofreading errors. For one thing, they couldn't seem to make up their minds about whether or not to capitalize certain things (like Ishin Denshin?). Those kind of things make me crazy. 4) I guess I just didn't like Miho quite as much. She was ok but I got so mad at her for being so selfish sometimes... I suppose that was the lesson she had to learn, but even so it really riled me.
Sam Spade meets Gandalf in some of the most fun modern genre fiction out there!
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