Hamachi loves yokai monsters of Japanese folklore and defends them to his skeptical village. But when the soul of his foul-tempered grandmother is stolen by a yokai, Hamachi must journey into their realm to bring her back. Matsumoto's manga is silly fun, anchored by a clueless but plucky hero and a dry sense of humor. Taking place in a fantasy setting close to historical Japan, Hamachi's adventures read like lighthearted folktales centered on the wide variety of yokai and the various means of dealing with them. There's amusing wordplay to entertain even jaded older readers, while the art is cartoonish enough in a skilled, purposeful way to keep the monsters in the arena of light fantasy without slipping into horror. Moderate violence reserves this book for middle-schoolers and older, but libraries looking for a fun and interesting fantasy adventure that is less chaotic than most manga would do well to check this one out. Matsumoto's fine first book bodes well for her future creations.--Wildsmith, Snow Copyright 2008 Booklist