Airi Sano, Prankmaster General: International Menace by Zoe Tokushige

What worked:

This book will appeal to readers interested in the Japanese culture. Airi’s father is in the U.S. military and he met her mother while stationed there. The family takes a trip to see Airi’s grandparents and she shares information about the culture with her friends. The author includes footnotes to explain words and phrases used and there are a few sections that explain specific information, like the Japanese alphabet. The father and kids need to practice speaking which provides opportunities for the author to describe the language. Airi’s grandfather is learning calligraphy and explains this form of writing to her. Every page covering the trip to Japan will shed light on what it’s like to live in that country.

As the title says, Airi considers herself a prankmaster and constantly dreams up ways to trick others. She does it for laughs and tries not to embarrass others or put them in danger. For example, she sews her younger brother’s packed clothes together and secretly gives origami dragons to other passengers on the airplane. Her parents are surprisingly okay with her pranks and give her kudos for imaginative ones. Even her sixth-grade teacher is okay with her pranks. As a matter of fact, Airi challenges her teacher to see who can come up with the funniest prank during the sixth-grade graduation ceremony!

The story highlights the various personalities and relationships in Airi’s life. Her family moves a lot due to her father’s role in the military so she hasn’t had any close friends. However, she has developed close friendships in Hawaii but is still insecure about maintaining them from Japan. Airi likes to feel close to her brother and kids around with him but she’s unaware of the subtle cues revealing E.J.’s true feelings. Airi spends time with her Japanese cousins and discovers Haru has a low self-image. She decides training E.J. and Haru as her pranking apprentices will help them feel better. Airi also enjoys getting closer to her grandfather and comes to a realization about the relationship between her mother and grandmother.

What didn’t work as well:

Different types of writing are included throughout the book which sometimes distract from the main plot. Airi writes structured action reports before and after some events. Many of the footnotes are more than a sentence or two so they require consideration. Airi and her friends create group texts sharing things that have happened in their lives. Summer email exchanges between Airi and her sixth-grade teacher are included. All of these different writings are woven into the story and require their own attention. It’s probably a matter of reader taste but it feels like more than enough supplemental writing.

The final verdict:

This book tells a heartwarming story of family, friends, and pranking. A family reunion in Japan and Airi’s antics provide the backdrop for a reflection on feelings and relationships. I recommend you give it a shot.