YA Materials, Literature Log, Book #7: The Beast Player

 Title: The Beast Player

Author: Nahoko Uehashi (translated by Cathy Hirano)

Category: Printz Award Title


Elin is only a girl of ten when her mother is sentenced to death for failing in her sacred duty of caring for the Toda, water serpents used in battle by their military. Elin tries to rescue her mother from death, but at the last moment her mother saves her, using a strange ability to transport her far away. There, Elin is taken in by a elderly beekeeper, who quickly takes to the intelligent, curious girl as his own child. Elin is good with animals, and fascinated by the beautiful Royal Beasts that live in the wild - enough to journey to a special school to learn to care for them when she is of age. It is here that Elin discovers a secret, one that could change the world - she can communicate with the Royal Beasts, and form bonds with them that no one else has been able to. As Elin's own desire to let the animals be free wars with the desire of the royalty to use them for war, a plot within the palace itself builds to a head, and Elin is wrapped in it against her own desire.


I loved this book, to be honest. It is one of the best fantasies I've read in a while, and Elin is such a unique character. I also loved finding the differences between Western fantasy, as I am used to reading, and Japanese fantasy. I think this will appeal to teens who are interested in manga, anime, and sweeping stories of magic. This book also has a great deal of discussion about animal care, and the bonds humans can have with them, that I enjoyed, and I feel will appeal to teens who also love animals. I would use this book in an exploration of literature from other cultures, showing teens that there is so much good writing in the world beyond what is written in English.

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