Misa Sugiura – författare

Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature * 2018 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults * 2018 Rainbow Book List * A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017"Well-paced, brimming with drama, and utterly vital."—Kirkus (starred review)This charming and bittersweet coming-of-age story featuring two girls of color falling in love is part To All the Boys I've Loved Before and part Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.Sixteen-year-old Sana Kiyohara has too many secrets. Some are small, like how it bothers her when her friends don’t invite her to parties. Some are big, like the fact that her father may be having an affair. And then there’s the one that she can barely even admit to herself—the one about how she might have a crush on her best friend.When Sana and her family move to California, she begins to wonder if it’s finally time for some honesty, especially after she meets Jamie Ramirez. Jamie is beautiful and smart and unlike anyone Sana’s ever known.There are just a few problems: Sana's new friends don't trust Jamie's crowd; Jamie's friends clearly don't want her around anyway; and a sweet guy named Caleb seems to have more-than-friendly feelings for her. Meanwhile, her dad’s affair is becoming too obvious to ignore.Sana always figured that the hardest thing would be to tell people that she wants to date a girl, but as she quickly learns, telling the truth is easy…what comes after it, though, is a whole lot more complicated.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book * A 2020 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults SelectionFor fans of Jenny Han, Morgan Matson, and Sandhya Menon, critically acclaimed author Misa Sugiura delivers a richly crafted contemporary YA novel about family, community, and the importance of writing your own history.The author of the Asian Pacific American Award-winning It’s Not Like It’s a Secret is back with another smartly drawn coming-of-age novel that weaves riveting family drama, surprising humor, and delightful romance into a story that will draw you in from the very first page.Katsuyamas never quit—but seventeen-year-old CJ doesn’t even know where to start. She’s never lived up to her mom’s type A ambition, and she’s perfectly happy just helping her aunt, Hannah, at their family’s flower shop.She doesn’t buy into Hannah’s romantic ideas about flowers and their hidden meanings, but when it comes to arranging the perfect bouquet, CJ discovers a knack she never knew she had. A skill she might even be proud of. Then her mom decides to sell the shop—to the family who swindled CJ’s grandparents when thousands of Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during WWII. Soon a rift threatens to splinter CJ’s family, friends, and their entire Northern California community; and for the first time, CJ has found something she wants to fight for.

This delightfully disastrous queer YA rom-com is a perfect read for fans of Jenny Han, Morgan Matson, and Sandhya Menon.When Nozomi Nagai pictured the ideal summer romance, a fake one wasn’t what she had in mind.That was before she met the perfect girl. Willow is gorgeous, glamorous, and…heartbroken? And when she enlists Nozomi to pose as her new girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Nozomi is a willing volunteer.Because Nozomi has a master plan of her own: one to show Willow she’s better than a stand-in, and turn their fauxmance into something real. But as the lies pile up, it’s not long before Nozomi’s schemes take a turn toward disaster…and maybe a chance at love she didn’t plan for.

This delightfully disastrous queer YA rom-com is aperfect read for fans of Jenny Han, Morgan Matson, and Sandhya Menon.When Nozomi Nagai pictured the ideal summer romance, a fakeone wasn’t what she had in mind.That was before she met the perfect girl. Willow isgorgeous, glamorous, and…heartbroken? And when she enlists Nozomi to pose asher new girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Nozomi is a willing volunteer.Because Nozomi has a master plan of her own: one to showWillow she’s better than a stand-in, and turn their fauxmance into somethingreal. But as the lies pile up, it’s not long before Nozomi’s schemes take aturn toward disaster…and maybe a chance at love she didn’t planfor.

Read the first book in a thrilling new fantasy series for readers aged 9+ - perfect for fans of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, Dragon Mountain and Mia and the Lightcasters!Momo Arashima just wants an ordinary life. But she's about to become legendary . . .At home, Momo cares for her mother; while at school, her classmates tease her for mixing up reality with the magical stories her mother used to tell her.But when a terrifying death hag attacks Momo, she realizes the stories are true - Momo's mum is a Shinto goddess who used to protect the gate to Yomi, the land of the dead. Now that passageway is under attack, and countless evil spirits threaten to escape and destroy humanity. Momo - joined by a talking fox called Niko, and her former best friend, Danny - is the only one who can stop them.Can Momo embrace her identity as half-human, half-goddess to unlock her powers, force the demons back to Yomi - and save the world?See what readers are saying about Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind:'If you love books with action, adventure and a heartwarming spirit, as well as many twists and turns as a bowl of ramen, this book is absolutely perfect for you' - Amaya, aged 10, LoveReading4Kids reviewer'I loved this funny, complex and exciting story! The action never stops as the author brilliantly blends adventure with Japanese folklore to deliver a barnstorming novel, with themes of adventure, family and identity' - School librarian, Reading Zone reviewer'Misa Sugiura's Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind has all the hallmarks of a fantasy classic . . . edge-of-your-seat energetic, with comic moments and emotional depth' - LoveReading4Kids reviewer

Discover the second book in a thrilling new fantasy series for readers aged 9+ - perfect for fans of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, Dragon Mountain and Mia and the Lightcasters!Momo Arashima just wants an ordinary life. But she's about to become legendary . . .After vanquishing a demon king, saving her mum, and reconnecting with her friend Danny, Momo ought to be living the life she's always wanted. But lately Danny has been ditching her to hang out with mean-girl Ryleigh - and groups of children have begun vanishing without a trace. So when a whole group from Ryleigh's exclusive birthday party becomes the latest to disappear, Momo and her friends (including Niko the fox) are left to fight a dangerous new enemy from Shinto legend.This time they are up against Tamamo-no-mae - beautiful, bloodthirsty and manipulative, she's the ultimate mean girl of the Kami-verse. To defeat her, Momo must travel to the Sky Kingdom and steal the legendary Mirror of the Sun. But if she's going to survive monster ambushes, escape giant snakes, and pull off the heist of the millennium, Momo will have to find a way to work with her team (even Ryleigh), and grapple with the growing power that connects her with her storm god grandfather and her greatest foe - Izanami the Destroyer . . .See what readers are saying about Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind:'If you love books with action, adventure and a heartwarming spirit, as well as many twists and turns as a bowl of ramen, this book is absolutely perfect for you' - Amaya, aged 10, LoveReading4Kids reviewer'I loved this funny, complex and exciting story! The action never stops as the author brilliantly blends adventure with Japanese folklore to deliver a barnstorming novel, with themes of adventure, family and identity' - School librarian, Reading Zone reviewer'Misa Sugiura's Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind has all the hallmarks of a fantasy classic . . . edge-of-your-seat energetic, with comic moments and emotional depth' - LoveReading4Kids reviewer

In the thrilling finale to the epic fantasy series filled with gods and monsters of Shinto mythology, a twelve-year-old girl with divine heritage risks everything to save her family – and the world – from the vengeful goddess of the underworld.Momo Arashima just wants an ordinary life. But she's about to become legendary . . .Momo Arashima is half goddess and half human – torn between two worlds. But with her friends Danny, Ryleigh, Jin and Niko by her side, she’s finally starting to find a place where she belongs. Too bad none of that matters when Izanami, the treacherous goddess of death, threatens the life of someone Momo loves and forces her into a terrible bargain.Izanami is after the Jewel of the Heart, an artefact that will help her finally escape the land of the dead . . . and she wants Momo to get it for her. Along with her friends, Momo must face fire demons, fanged mermaids,and spiders as big as horses. But even if they succeed, what will Momo do? Sacrifice the person most precious to her, or hand over the Jewel and unleash Izanami on the world?See what readers are saying about Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind:'If you love books with action, adventure and a heartwarming spirit, as well as many twists and turns as a bowl of ramen, this book is absolutely perfect for you' - Amaya, aged 10, LoveReading4Kids reviewer'I loved this funny, complex and exciting story! The action never stops as the author brilliantly blends adventure with Japanese folklore to deliver a barnstorming novel, with themes of adventure, family and identity' - School librarian, Reading Zone reviewer'Misa Sugiura's Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind has all the hallmarks of a fantasy classic . . . edge-of-your-seat energetic, with comic moments and emotional depth' - LoveReading4Kids reviewer