Ink

Sun’s debut picks up on themes popularized in manga, like the minor deities of Shinto folklore, as the basis for her planned Paper Gods series. Sixteen-year-old Katie Greene is disoriented, grieving, and angry. Her mother recently died, and Katie has been shipped off to a guardian halfway around the world in Shizuoka, Japan. It’s perhaps not surprising that Katie would spurn the overtures of smiling boys to stalk Tomohiro, who’s maddening, mercurial, and artistically gifted. He’s at ease maintaining barriers between himself and his Japanese classmates, but Katie’s bluntness and aggressive pursuit disarm him and pique an equal interest. The mystery of Tomohiro appears connected to his art—specifically, the ink that runs thickly in his presence, and the drawings that come to life under Katie’s shocked gaze. This is very much a scene-setting book, and readers will come away more enlightened about contemporary Japanese high schools than any older aspect of the culture, but it’s an enjoyable peek at a world very different from America, yet inhabited by people whose hearts are utterly familiar. Ages 14–up. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, the Knight Agency. (July)