Shadows on the Moon
Gr 9 Up-Suzume, 16, is a shadow weaver-"one who can weave illusions from the threads of the world"-and recreate herself in any form. Her carefree life abruptly ends when her father is wrongly accused of being a traitor and is murdered. Suzume escapes using "the moon's gift." In exchange for protection and new identities, Suzume's mother marries Terayama-san, her father's best friend. However, after it is discovered that Suzume has overheard the secret whisperings between her mother and her tyrannical stepfather regarding his involvement as the mastermind behind her father's death, she must flee for her life. Suzume shadow weaves her way up society's ladder-from a lowly kitchen drudge to the coveted Shadow bride-with one goal in mind: revealing Terayama-san as a traitor and avenging her father's death. In doing so, she might have to forsake the love of her life and fellow shadow weaver, Otieno. Or does she? Zoe Marriott's riveting tale (Candlewick, 2012) puts a refreshing spin on the deadly game of cat and mouse whereby the mouse precisely calculates every small move to corner the cat. Amy Rubinate is solid in her narration of Suzume and offers subtle voice variations for the other characters. A great listen.-Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OHα(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.--This text refers to theAudio CDedition.