A haunting curse. A race through the spirit world. One girl's journey to redemption. Saki Yamamoto didn't want to spend her summer in a quiet mountain village with no Wi-Fi and endless rituals. But when a dare leads her to break a sacred tradition during Japan's Obon Festival, she awakens something far more terrifying than boredom. Now cursed and marked by death, Saki must brave the Night Parade―a journey through Japan's spirit realm filled with yokai, ghosts, and ancient magic. With just three nights and the help of three strange spirit guides, she must outwit the supernatural, face her fears, and heal what's been broken―or risk vanishing from the world of the living forever. If you loved the eerie wonder of Spirited Away and the quiet chills of Coraline , this award-winning middle-grade fantasy will capture your imagination―and your heart. Perfect for fans of Wicked Fox, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, and readers who want more middle-grade fantasy rooted in rich cultural traditions. Enter the spirit world. Discover who you really are. And don't look back. Honors & Awards: Freeman Book Award Winner - Junior Library Guild Selection - Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year - Kids' Indie Next Pick "This story will be a hit for those who are fans of The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, with its interesting characters and creative plot" - School Library Connection "[A] marvelous original debut novel, inspired by Japanese mythology and spookily reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's terrifying "Coraline."" - The Buffalo News "This has significant shades of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, and it will appeal especially to readers with an interest in adventure stories and Japanese folklore." - Booklist "Tanquary excels at creating a world where both Japanese beliefs and cosmic mythology are real and co-exist" - TeenReads "This adventurous story perfectly mixes Saki's tech-savvy tendencies with ancient Japanese customs, nicely illustrating the connections between the past and the present." - Bookish.com "A suspenseful middle-grade fantasy debut evocative of Neil Gaiman'sCoralineand classic films like Jim Henson'sLabyrinthand Hayao Miyazaki'sSpirited Away...This dark adventure serves as a terrific introduction to Japanese legends, with the weird and wondrous on full display. " - Shelf Awareness" "An entertaining mix of Japanese folklore and teen angst" - School Library Journal "Wonder and imagination abound in Tanquary's debut, a fantasy set in a contemporary Japanese mountain village; filled with respect and admiration for cultural tradition, it evokes both Grimm's fairy tales and Miyazaki's films...Vivid details and realistic situations ensure accessibility, and subtle teaching moments are wrapped in wide-eyed enchantment. " - Publishers Weekly, starred review Kathryn Tanquary is a graduate of Knox College with a B.A. in Creative Writing. She currently resides in Japan as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language in the Gunma Prefecture.