The Secret of the Blue Glass

I love this sweet, touching story about a Japanese family tasked with caring for a family of Little People. The Little People have lived in a small, safe corner of the family library where the have been cared for by various young members of the Moriyama family. It is during the time that Yuri is responsible for their daily feeding of milk, always brought in a blue glass goblet, that things change. Japan is caught up in WWII and the Moriyama family, who lives in Tokyo, finds itself split. Yuki's father is imprisoned as a traitor. One brother is set to join the military while the other seems to be following more in his father's ideaology.

To keep Yuri safe, she is sent to live with family in the country. Here, she struggles to fit in and to deal with the separation from her family. At the same time, food becomes more and more difficult to find, and the milk supply for the little People is threatened. At the same time, the two youngest Little People, Robin and Iris, get a taste of life outside the small home with the Moriyama's and begin to crave more.

This was a powerful story and the translator did a wonderful job as the words flow beautifully. The book is meant for middle grade students, and it might move, at times, a bit slow for this crowd, but it is worth it. The reader gets a real feeling of the hardships Yuri goes through as a child and the difficulties of her responsibilities to her family and the Little People.

This was a very beautiful story told in a simple but poetic way. The backdrop of WWII made for an interest setting for a magical realism story featuring these Little People. The story was very touching, leaving you with a lingering bittersweet feeling. I would love to re-read this one at some point and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a unique story.