Vibrantly written, The Night Parade follows Saki as she begrudgingly travels to the country to visit her grandmother for the annual Obon festival. But things go awry on the first night when she joins some local kids in the town's ancestral graveyard.

I loved how many elements of Japanese mythology were incorporated into the story. However, my favorite part of the book was being able to watch Saki grow as a person, and a friend, throughout the story's path.

Saki Yamamoto dreads spending the summer in her grandmother's isolated village, far away from her friends in Tokyo. While preparing for the Obon ceremony, Saki gets an opportunity to hang out with some local kids who want to sneak into a shrine. After a dare to ring the sacred bell, Saki gets more than she bargained: she accidentally invokes a death curse. With 3 nights to undo it along with the help of several spirits, Saki must brave the Night Parade, spirit guardians of the shrine, and more if she wants to stay on her side of living.

THE NIGHT PARADE is full of awesome creepy scenes that sent chills up my spine (especially the scene with witch's son). This would be a great read-a-like for Tracey Baptiste's Jumbies series for the creep/scary level.

I enjoyed how realistic Saki's feelings are. She feels immense pressure to fit in so she isn't as directly bullied as some of her classmates are, but she also starts to think that the 'friends' she has back in Tokyo might not be worth it. She has to learn to stand up for herself and push back against the pressure to go along with something just because others are.

The Night Parade was a fast read, but at the same time, it felt very rushed as far as the writing goes. I really loved the cover and the idea behind this book. But it turned out just meh for me. Great plot, poor execution.

Saki is spending her summer in her grandmother's small Japanese village where she accidentally invokes a curse. She now has three days to undo it or death will come. I really enjoyed learning about Japanese mythology and liked how well the author was able to balance the everyday world with the fantastical elements of the story.

I don't normally read middle grade, but this was a charming little novel!

A book what reads like a movie. A japanese animated movie with all its magic and charm - and mythology.

Teenager Saki doesn't want to be stuck in her Grandmother's house for a boring holiday, in the boring city - and without a cell phone reception! But when she follows her laziness, the lack of filial piety and the need to be liked, she unknowingly calls for the trip to the spirit's world. There is a death spell invoked. To reverse the spell and to save the spirit's world, she needs to enter The Night Parade, a feast lasting for three days, to try to find the Midlight Prince, the ruler of the spirit's world. But the darkness entered the spirit's world, too.

An animated movie in the form of a book! Me likey. I love Japanese movies because their wit, charm and the morale of the story. This one is filled with the japanese mythology and their spiritual ways, but the content is not scary and the teenagers might read it without the fright (maybe just with a bit of explanation about the Japanese belief system, as it plays quite a big role in the story).
I liked how Saki change from the egoistic teenager into somebody who knows respect toward others and who can value friendship, selflessness and and other right values.
And I loved the concept of the spirit's world here! I am hoping for the second volume! Saki and her friends are too a lovely posse not to have any adventurous waiting for them!