The Very Unfortunate Wish of Melony Yoshimura

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

In the vein of When You Trap a Tiger and Coraline, this contemporary and magical retelling of the Japanese folktale “The Melon Princess and the Amanjaku” follows one girl who must save herself—and her loved ones—from a deceitful demon she befriended.

Melony Yoshimura’s parents have always been overprotective. They say it’s because a demonic spirit called the Amanjaku once preyed upon kids back in Japan, but Melony suspects it’s just a cautionary tale to keep her in line. So on her twelfth birthday, Melony takes a chance and wishes for the freedom and adventure her parents seem determined to keep her from.As if conjured by her wish, the Amanjaku appears. At first, Melony is wary. If this creature is real, are the stories about its destructive ways also real? In no time, however, the Amanjaku woos Melony with its ability to shape-shift, grant wishes, and understand her desire for independence. But what Melony doesn’t realize is that the Amanjaku’s friendship has sinister consequences, and she quickly finds every aspect of her life controlled by the demon’s trickery—including herself.Melony is determined to set things right, but will she be able to before the Amanjaku turns her life, her family, and her community upside down?

About the Author

Waka T. Brown was the first American born in her family. She is a Stanford graduate with a master's in secondary education. She’s currently an instructor at the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), authoring curriculum on several international topics and winning the Association for Asian Studies’ national Franklin R. Buchanan Prize. She’s also been awarded the US–Japan Foundation and EngageAsia’s national 2019 Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award for her groundbreaking endeavors in teaching about US–Japan relations to high school students in Japan and promoting cultural exchange awareness. While I Was Away was her debut memoir and is followed by middle grade fiction novels Dream, Annie, Dream and The Very Unfortunate Wish of Melony Yoshimura. She lives with her family in the Portland, OR, area. To learn more about Waka, visit her online at wakatbrown.com.