Kiki has reached her coming of age as a witch and therefore must leave her home and find a new place to live and support herself and her black cat Jiji. The spells and powers of witchcraft has mostly faded and Kiki is left with one talent - to fly on her broom. Establishing herself in a town by the sea, Kiki learns to be helpful to the townsfolk and in return learns much about life from them. She returns to her home after a year to discover that home is no longer where she truly wants to be. Besides, there is a certain boy back in Koriko that Kiki is getting to know....
A coming of age story with a witchy twist. Author Kadono weaves traditional Japanese customs into her setting through town and personal names and creates unique characters who may or may not have some special magic of their own. Young tweens who are eager to escape parental control and those who are just getting a clue about boy/girl relations will find a friend in Kiki's Delivery Service.

Somehow, I thought that Howl's Moving Castle was the only literary adaptation that Hiyao Miyazaki had done. Imagine my surprise when Kiki's Delivery Service - the book - popped up on my radar! It's a charming story, quirky and slightly ethereal, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

I started reading this book after not having watched the movie since I was a child. I appreciate that it was translated into English from the original Japanese, but I don't know if it really stands on its own without the movie. After reading maybe 10% of the book, I stopped because I felt like I should watch the movie first/instead, which usually doesn't happen for me, and isn't a great review of the book.

An absolute delight. I had no idea that the film was based on a book. Really looking forward to recommending this title to my young patrons.

I loved the movie and I never knew it was based on a book! Now it's one of my favorite books as well. Can't wait to recommend it to my kids!

E ARC provided by Netgalley



Kiki is a witch who lives with her mother, who knows plant magic and can fly on a broom, and her father, who studies witches. Magic is slowly dying all over Japan, but when Kiki turns 13, she is prepared to do what all witches do for their coming of age project-- move to another town all by herself and make a life. Her parents are okay with this, but her mother is a little controlling about the broom she takes, the dress she wears, and the type of town she should chose. Kiki is fairly lucky; when she stops to investigate a town, she meets Osono and offers to run an errand for her on her broom. Osono, who is very pregnant, is intrigued by the idea of having a witch nearby, and offers her flour house for Kiki to occupy and use to run her delivery business. Kiki slowly manages to get customers, and is soon off on many adventures involving traveling around to deliver things for many quirky people, like the older woman who knits belly bands for everyone. She makes friends, including Tombo, and settles into her life nicely. At the end of the year, she travels home to visit her parents, as is traditional, but soon wants to return to the new life she has created.

Strengths: The original novel was written in 1985, was made into a movie, and appears to have graphic novel versions, so this is a very influential work. It certainly made Eva Evergreen: Semi Magical Witch make a LOT more sense. I can see the appeal of this for tween readers; Kiki has slight powers, is able to go off on her own, and has lots of adventures. This reminded me a little bit of Ruth Chew's books about witches in every day life.
Weaknesses: This feels a bit dated; Kiki writes letters and only occasionally phones, which is good for her independence. Today, she could call her mother every day! The language seemed aimed at a very young audience; perhaps something was lost in translation.
What I really think: I don't think I will purchase this, but it was fascinating to read. There are a lot of authors whose formative years were in the 1980s, when I was in college and paid no attention to popular culture! Next, I need a novelization to help me understand Sailor Moon.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing thr0ugh NetGalley.
Nice return to this classic. Kiki comes of age at thirteen and must leave her parents and find her own home. She flies until she sees the sea and decides to stay in a town on the shore. The book takes readers through her first year there. She finds a place to live and establishes her business (see title). Kiki and her cat, Jiji, meet people and figure out how to best live a life in Koriko.
Kadono writes with enough action and twists to pull middle grade readers in. They will care about the characters and want to know how the year will go for Kiki and Jiji. The book wraps up with a visit to her family and the realization of how far she has come and how much she has to look forward to.

I love the charming Studio Ghibli movie Kiki's Delivery Service and was pleasantly surprised to be able to read this equally charming new edition translated by Emily Balistrieri. Kiki is a young witch who flies away from home as a coming-of-age tradition. Along with her cat Jiji, she finds a new life in a sea-side town and has a series of adventures helping her fellow townspeople. I found this translation utterly endearing and sweet with a clear true voice. Perfect both for fans of the movie and for younger middle grade readers looking for a book about finding yourself.

It's Kiki's 13th birthday. As a young witch, it is her coming of age day, so she sets out with her cat Jiji to find a town that could use a witch's help. At first she is unsure of her new town, but as a year passes, she learns a lot about the town and herse.f.

I had seen the movie adaptation years ago without realizing that it was a book. This was a very sweet story. I loved Kiki as a character, especially as she grew and changed through the book. I loved how each chapter was a new little adventure that she went on through the town. They introduced a lot of fun and interesting characters too. I really loved the illustrations that accompanied this too. I am definitely going to be recommending this to fans of the movie and also classic children's stories.

I received an ARC via Netgalley, but I’ve always wanted to read Kiki’s Delivery Service. I am a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s films. Kiki’s Delivery Service is actually one that I haven’t watched, so it can be a first of reading the story before watching his film.

The story was very sweet. Kiki leaves home at thirteen, as her coming-of-age as a witch, with her black cat Jiji to find her own town away from her parents. She befriends the locals, becomes a delivery service on her broom, and has all sorts of adventures in her first year away from home. A perfectly adorable book to share with middle grade readers, with just a slight hint of romance.

I admittedly chose this book for nostalgic reasons since my oldest daughter loved this movie as a child and went through a phase where we had to call her Kiki. This book did exactly what I expected it to. It brought back the world of Kiki's Delivery Service from her childhood to my adulthood now.

Kiki is a young witch who has come of age at 13 and must embark to discover her place in the world on her own. She travels with her faithful black cat, Jiji, with the goal of reaching a town by the sea. Of course she was given advice before her journey and in typical Kiki fashion she chooses to listen but interpret it in a way to fit her unconventional thinking. This is a feel-good story about discovering who you are while staying true to your roots but making your own path.

While the book fulfilled that nostalgia for me, it wasn't a book that would leave an overall lasting impression. It was a cute book for the moment.

E-ARC provided by Netgalley and Delacorte Press for an honest review

I'm a big fan of the animated movie based on this book, and was not disappointed with the book. Kiki is just as charming as in the movie, the original storyline is a pleasure to read with a few nuances not in the books. Writing is very good though not exceptional. Recommended for fans of the movie, of fantasy stories, and stories about 'good' young witches about 4th grade reading level and up.

It is exciting to see the English translation of this book from the Japanese movie and book of the same title. The author did a great job of translating this wonderful coming of age book of a thirteen-year-old witch who leaves home to begin her training. Her adventures and learning begin when she arrives in a big city and comes across many obstacles and exciting challenges while learning about herself, her magic, and discovering the importance of wonderful friends. In the end, she is accepted by all in the town who thought a young witch arriving in their town was a bad sign. This book is different because it is not often a young girl who takes off on her own and uses magic for a living while making a town believe witches are not as evil as they believe.

This is not a formal review, it is merely my comments. I am sorry to say that I found the text of Kiki's Delivery Service to be extremely awkward. It was impossible to forget that it was a translation, because the turns of phrase were clunky, odd, and unnatural.