Review Detail

“My Tokyo Summer” by Abby Denson, illustrations by Utomaru, invites readers to go on a trip to Tokyo with Abby, a girl from the United States who loves reading and writing comics. When a girl from Japan, Yuuko, happens to come to America and sees one of Abby’s comics in a store, she writes a letter that begins a long-term friendship between the two girls.

Abby eventually travels to Tokyo to meet Yuuko. Abby’s enrollment in an art program in Japan allows them to spend time together and work on their own comic. They plan to sell it at an event called Comiket, which is a large comic convention they attend together while Abby was in Japan.

The book touches on different aspects of Japanese culture, including foods eaten there, how to travel around town, and the like. The girls’ relationship inspires them to continue their friendship long past Abby’s time in Tokyo, showing that you can find good friends in the most unexpected ways. The illustrations also do a nice job vividly depicting the way in which Abby views life in Tokyo and how her life and Yuuko’s life intertwine as they get to know each other better.