Takeshita Demons: The Filth Licker

Miku is going to School Camp in the forest, with her friend Cait and the rest of her class. It should be fun. But Miku has premonitions of danger, and when Oscar goes down with a festering rash, and a rushing wind blows out the bonfire she's sure something bad is going on. Then Alex finds the frog-like Filth-Licker in the boys' toilets, and all at once Miku, Cait and Alex are on a secret mission to overcome the vengeful Shape-Shifters or Super Demons before it's too late… Later that night, with Alex kidnapped by a pyromaniac fox, and Cait possessed by some angry sickle weasels, it's up to Miku and the Filth-Licker to save them all from disaster. Coming in 2012 Takeshita Demons: Monster Matsuri Review Cristy's knowledge of Japanese folklore and the supernatural shine through and this is a compulsive read. ( Parents in Touch) Lively with some suspense. ( Ibby Link) Brilliant manga-type illustrations by Siku complement the text and there is also a useful glossary giving information about the many demons that make an appearance in the book. This is basically a fantasy adventure story with the fascinating addition of Japanese folk-lore: it is moderately scary and fast-moving and will definitely appeal to confident readers in junior school and the lower years in secondary school. ( School Librarian) Author Bio Cristy Burne has joint New Zealand and Australian citizenship, has travelled widely and lived for several years in Japan as a teacher and editor. It was during this time that she became fascinated with Japanese folklore and the supernatural yokai - demons - which are very much a part of Japanese culture, but little known outside Japan. She won the Voices on the Coast Youth Literature Award for emerging writers, in Queensland, Australia, but Takeshita Demons was her first published book. Cristy and her family live in Perth, Australia. To find out more about Cristy Burne and for downloads and resources click hereSIKU is a well-known illustrator for comic books and graphic novels, working for the major companies in the field, including 2000AD Magazine and Marvel Comics. His best-known book is The Manga Bible. Siku lives and works in London and Essex. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter 1 "Cait, are you still there?" I could hear breathing on the other end of the phone, but Cait's voice had disappeared, cut off halfway through a sentence. "Hello?" It was dark outside, late on the night before school camp, and I had a bad feeling in my gut that was cutting like knives. I was supposed to be packing shirts and shoes and lucky charms to take to camp, but I hadn't even opened my case. The phone crackled. "Sorry," Cait whispered. "I had to go quiet. I'm supposed to be in bed. Dad'll freak if he finds me up this late." So she was still there. Still OK. Relief prickled down my arms. "What's up?" she asked. "Why are you calling so late?" I swallowed. "It's about camp," I began. "I've got this feeling..." Cait didn't hesitate. "I know," she said. "Me too." I grinned despite the churning in my belly. Of course Cait would understand. She'd been with me through everything, helping me break into our school and rescue my brother, making friends with a half-dragon water-woman, even standing up to Mrs Okuda after she'd become a child-eating nukekubi demon. Since the night we'd met the demons, Cait and I had been virtually inseparable. Unlike Mrs Okuda and her head. "I've been doing a lot of thinking," Cait continued. "About camp. I think we're going to need a few extra things…." I listened, on the edge of my bed. "But it's hard to know," she said. "For a start, I think I'll take two pairs, then I can wear one at dinner or whatever, and have the other if Mr Lloyd makes us go hiking. Are you taking two? Or maybe we should go for three?" "What? What are you talking about?" The phone went silent. "Jeans," Cait said. "What are you talking