The original Japanese book Colorful by Eto Mori won the Sankei Children's Book Award when originally published in the 1990s; it has been made into multiple movies. The English version is marketed as “literature and fiction.” The biggest issue I have with the book does not center on the main character, but rather on a girl about whom he cares. The book, in a matter of fact way, presents an eight-grader prostituting herself so that she can buy things! Let's just say I do not understand.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/02/colorful.html

Reviewed for NetGalley. ( )

A recently deceased soul is given a second chance to continue in the cycle of birth. He is sent into the body of fourteen-year-old Makoto Kobayashi who has just committed suicide. While there, he has up to a year to remember the worst mistake he made in his own life. He has an angel guide to help him but, as he learns more about Makoto's life, he feels nothing but disgust for his host family and decides to live Makoto's life on his own terms.

Colorful by Japanese author Eto Mori was written twenty years ago and quickly became a beloved classic in Japan. It has since been translated into several different languages and is now in English. I don't want to give too much away about the story but I will say this -at first, I wasn't sure how I felt. I didn't much like the characters at least at the beginning, usually a real sticking point for how I feel about a book but the story caught my attention right away despite this and I am so glad it did. The tale is told in the first person by the soul occupying Makoto and, as a result, gives a fascinating perspective on the life he is occupying.

Colorful is aimed at a young audience but, despite being much much older than the target age, I really enjoyed it. It has an important message for young teens especially those who don't feel like they fit in but it still manages to be pretty much unputdownable - I read it in in one sitting. I can't recommend it highly enough both for kids and adults alike.

Thanks to Edelweiss+ and Counterpoint for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )