Wynne-Jones, Tim. The Emperor of Any Place.

Wynne-Jones, Tim.  The Emperor of Any Place.    Candlewick Press  2015  324p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-6973-7  ms/hs      Fantasy     E-BN      

Sixteen-year-old Evan’s father has died suddenly, and he is stuck in a state of grief when his estranged grandfather comes to visit and help him sort things out.  Meanwhile, Evan finds a strange yellow book that his father was reading when he died, and is compelled to read it himself.  What he finds is a memoir of a World War I Japanese soldier and his involvement with the gruff Sergeant Grandfather.  He uncovers the truth about his grandfather even though what he is reading is mystifying and at times terrifying.

In this fast-paced novel, Tim Wynne-Jones mixes history, adventure, mystery, horror and fantasy in a novel that will delight and entertain middle-school and young-adult readers.  This carefully constructed page-turner pulls the reader into the urgency of the memoir as well as the situation facing Evan and his relationship with his enigmatic grandfather. Readers won’t be able to help being engaged and involved in the plot.

Summary: When Evan’s father dies suddenly, he finds a strange yellow book that his father was reading when he died, and is compelled to read it and unlock the mysteries it reveals about his visiting estranged grandfather and his involvement in World War II.    

World War I-Fiction                                   --Virginia McGarvey