The Monster on the Road Is Me

Gr 7 Up—Koda Okita may be a social outcast, but he has wit and charm to spare. Sure, he's the son of shitake mushroom farmers and must wear a giant helmet to protect himself during narcoleptic falls, but there's something special about him. Or at least that's what Moya, a mysterious new girl at school, keeps telling him. There have been a series of suicides on Koda's high school grounds, seemingly coinciding with the arrival of masses of crows, and Moya is certain that only he can prevent more deaths. Koda just wants to kiss her. Romney's debut novel, set in Japan, lays out an intriguing premise and immediately delivers action and snarky commentary, as well as a bevy of mythological creatures determined to bring the town of Kusaka down. As Koda tries to figure out why a river spirit is so interested in driving his classmates and teachers to lethal despair, he encounters not just more monsters but also the hero within. There's a lot to enjoy here, especially for an audience of anime- and manga-loving teens. The demons and spirit creatures introduced here are drawn from Japanese folktales and Shinto and Buddhist lore, which the author learned about while teaching in Japan. Japanese words are interspersed frequently, with context cues used smartly. Violence is handled with minimal gore, despite some potentially disturbing subject matter. Koda's singular narrative voice and the cleverness of the dialogue are stylistic strengths, but the ironic tone does set up a certain amount of emotional distance, even during the climax and its aftermath.