Reading: THE BALLAD OF YAYA BOOK 1: FUGUE - Jean-Marie Omont & Charlotte Girard (writers), Golo Zhao & Patrick Marty (illustrators)

In 1937 Shanghai, eight-year-old Yaya lives a somewhat privileged life with her well-to-do parents in the French Concession area of the city, able to devote time to her favorite obsession: playing the piano.  But war clouds are fast approaching on the horizon, word of a Japanese invasion imminent, and the night before her big audition for a prestigious music school, Yaya's father declares his daughter will not be going; indeed, he intends on spiriting his family away onto a boat leaving Shanghai early the next morning, securing their safety while he still can. Not realizing the full import of what's to come, Yaya decides she will make the audition anyway, meeting her parents at the boat afterward, and leaves a note to this affect before sneaking out of the house before dawn. Meanwhile, in a much less well-off section of Shanghai, a young boy named Tuduo, working essentially as a thief and pickpocket for the crime boss Zhu, decides it's time to escape this life when Zhu sets his eyes on Tuduo's kid brother Xiao to get into the same business. Hiding his brother away with the one person he can trust in the city, Tuduo sets out that same morning to find this better life for him and his brother ... as Japanese fighter planes appear over the city and the bombs begin to fall. As Yaya is awakened to the horrors of war when bombs begin dropping in her own section of the city, both children fight to survive while headed on paths that will bring them together, Yaya desperately seeking her parents as Zhu and his cronies hunt Tuduo through war-ravaged Shanghai, determined he and his brother will always be "family". Reading this book, thanks to the artwork and vibrant color palette containing watercolor tones throughout, I felt very much like I was reading a Studio Ghibli film come to life on the page, due to the wonderful character design. Yaya and Tuduo are both likable, upbeat children thrown into a situation over which they have little control and even less knowledge, yet they remain hopeful and fight for what's important and who they love. The first of a projected 9-volume set, be aware that The Ballad of Yaya Vol. 1: Fugue ends in a meaty cliffhanger ... with part two not due out in the States until July! 4.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, Edelweiss and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.