Reviews

Tessa Miyata Is No Hero by Julie Abe

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cakt1991's review against another edition

4.0

Julie Abe continues to create delightful Japanese-inspired middle grade fantasy, and Tessa Miya Is No Hero is no exception. While her prior books were more fairy-tale-like, this one is woven into our modern world. However, there is still a deep connection to Japanese culture and lore, and both Tokyo and the magical realm come to life on the page through Abe’s prose.

Tessa is a delightful protagonist to follow. I love her enthusiasm to explore her family’s Japanese culture by staying in Japan with her grandparents, even if she is initially dismayed that she isn’t immediately swept up in an epic adventure in Tokyo. She’s a great representation of what it can be like for a diaspora kid to be caught between two worlds, and while there are some aspects of the narrative that feel a tad cliche, like her being unpopular at school at being bullied, I did like that she longs for a connection to her ancestral home, when so many similar books see the protagonist struggling to be connected to their heritage. I did like that her issues in the “real” world and magical one connected in her evolving relationship with Jin, with them being neighbors who didn’t get along at the outset, and then ending up both causing the crisis they needed to solve.

The plot was fairly engaging, and the adventure overall kept me engaged throughout. It’s fairly fast-paced with a lot of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.

This is a fun start to a series, and I’d recommend it to readers interested in a middle grade fantasy-adventure story.

whatsslilareading's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

malalaisee's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

atrailofpages's review against another edition

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5.0

Tessa has been seeing a creepy woman with a wolf mask and an actual white wolf with the woman for some time, but no one else can see or hear this woman. And because of this woman, she’s been dubbed as a weirdo ever since she was seen and recorded talking to a dumpster because no one could see who she was actually talking to. Well, one day at an art museum, she sees the woman again and tries to hide in a gift shop where a boy who happens to be the cousin of her ex-best friend who had uploaded the video that ruined her life tries to upload a new video of her and so Tessa asks the woman for help. In turn, the woman says you will owe me a favor and gives her the wolf mask, takes care of the phone using the wolf and then the wolf disappears into the mask that Tessa now owns. Now summer break has started and Tessa and her sisters go to Japan for the summer and stay with her grandparents where Tessa has the adventure of a lifetime involving saving Japan from a vengeful god.

Such a fun, and magical adventure! This reminded me a lot of Spirited Away with Tessa and Jin visiting the spirit world where gods and goddesses live and experiencing this spirit world. Spirited Away is my favorite film ever and it made me feel so warm and fuzzy reading this book!

Tessa is hilarious and it makes me sad that she’s bullied and kids don’t seem to like her and thinks she’s weird. She seems like she’d be a fun and quirky friend! Tessa is so tough and resilient. I was impressed by her multiple times. No matter how someone treated her or how she felt after being abandoned again or looked at like she’s not worthy, she gets back up and continues to be her Tessa-self and do better and be the better person since everyone needs to be saved from the vengeful god. I just don’t know how that girl is so kind after always feeling like she’s a bother, or odd, and others treat her that way, and yet she’s always the bigger and better person.

Jin is that more stoic friend who seems to be more reasonable and thinks before he reacts unlike Tessa who seems to allow her temper to get the better of her sometimes