Middle grade. Translated from Japanese. A classic that has also been made into an animated film, though I’m not familiar with it.
Kiki is a witch. When a witch turns 13, she and her cat must fly on her broom from the town where she grew up to find a new town to be her home, one currently without a witch. She must find a way to make a living by being useful in whatever way she can to her new neighbours and becoming part of the community. And after a year, she is permitted to go home to visit her parents. This book is the story of Kiki’s first year away, in which she settles in a large seaside town and makes a living by using her flying skills to run a delivery service.
Cute. Silly. Full of all of the things you might expect in a middle-grade coming-of-age story – resilience, pluck, and resolve; making new friends; dealing with prejudice; figuring out your abilities; a talking cat. Not as captivating for an adult reader as some other middle-grade I’ve read, unfortunately, but nonetheless a refreshing change from the stodgy seriousness of adult fiction. And I have to admit to being at least a little bit affected, as a parent of a kid who is starting college next year, by the little-kid-growing-up notes, particularly related to her visit back to see her parents at the end.
Originally posted by Scott on Goodreads.