THE NIGHT PARADE, by Kathryn Tanqueray

The story: When Saki messes up the Obon ceremony because she's too lazy to get it right, and when she disrespects the graveyard of her ancestors, a death curse is placed upon her family and it's up to her to follow the path to the Midlight Prince to get him to dissolve the curse. She has three nights to do it, and who knows if the spirits, ogres, and other beings of the Night Parade will help her, or try to get their revenge by getting in her way and causing her to fail?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G: Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes PG (difficult consequences of poor choices) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This was an unusual fantasy, its animal beings very much unfamiliar to Western readers (Google images was helpful in seeing what they all were). Saki, despite being pretty unlikable at the beginning, grows a lot as a character and learns her lesson well. Give this one to fantasy likers who are willing to dip their toe in the pool of foreign cultures.