FOLK REMEDY

An apprentice apothecary releases an imprisoned supernatural being, plunging them both into the dangers of the spirit world.

New technology, like the telephone, is bringing change to Takeyama, a small Japanese countryside town. Maple, whose family runs Morimura’s Apothecary, is ready to leave behind the old ways—like the belief in yōkai, creatures and monsters of folklore—in favor of the modern world that Kunio, her big-city friend, hails from. But her mother insists that yōkai are the key to Maple’s future in the business. She shows Maple a 500-year-old book with records of the medicinal plants the yōkai have shared with generations of Morimuras. Still set on proving that yōkai aren’t real, Maple removes the seal from a lantern that’s said to have imprisoned a human-hating yōkai for 300 years. To her surprise, a cranky yōkai named Ember emerges. Ember is horrified when Maple gives Kunio the magatama, or enchanted stone, that’s vital to their existence; Maple agrees to help them get it back, and the pair sets off for the city to find Kunio. Along the way, they’re transported to the Hidden World, encountering mischievous, sometimes dangerous, creatures. Maple must decide whom to trust while figuring out how to get home. This action-packed series opener features plenty of magical thrills. The charming illustrations have a historical feeling that evokes traditional Japanese woodblock prints, effectively using different color palettes to distinguish the human and spirit worlds.

An intriguing, page-turning adventure infused with Japanese folklore.