December 1, 2023
Momo is thrown into a dangerous quest to save the children of the mortal world from an ancient Japanese demon in this second series entry. After fighting monsters and defeating a powerful demon, half-kami and half-human Momo Arashima wishes she could celebrate and just go back to her everyday seventh grade life. But Momo feels like her best friend, Danny Haragan, is drifting away--he's been hanging out with Ryleigh Guo, the mean girl who bullies her. When Momo crashes Ryleigh's party in order to confront Danny, she finds herself in the middle of a mass kidnapping of her classmates by the ancient nine-tailed fox demon Tamamo-no-mae. In the aftermath, Momo is left with Danny, Ryleigh, and boy band superstar and surprise party guest Jin Takayama ("Ryleigh's mom's cousin's best friend's husband's nephew"). This oddball team, accompanied by Niko, Momo's magical fox spirit babysitter, set out to ask the Seven Lucky Gods for help. Their only hope is to travel to the Sky Kingdom and steal the Mirror of the Sun from Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun. Although their journey includes attacks by yōkai and encounters with deities and spirit guardians, their biggest challenge is learning to get along and trust one another. Shintō influences and Japanese folklore are blended in this action-packed fantasy that explores friendship, belonging, anger, anxiety, self-discovery, and embracing all parts of ourselves. An appealing adventure filled with both action and heart. (glossary) (Fantasy. 8-12)
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