Kiki's Delivery Service

by Eiko Kadono

Hardcover, 2020

Status

Available

Publication

Delacorte Books for Young Readers (2020), 208 pages

Description

"Thirteen-year-old half-witch Kiki travels to the town of Koriko where she makes new friends, overcomes challenges, and shares her magic with her community to make the world a brighter place"--

User reviews

LibraryThing member jpeeler501
Years before covid almost every lesbian I encountered that was into selling baked goods and doing cake decorations had pink hair and a Kiki's delivery service tattoo. I always wondered why. This book did not answer that question for me. I don't think I can force myself to see the film after this
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book. The mystery will remain unsolved for me.
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LibraryThing member rakerman
The book is ok. I would say it is best for ages eight and younger.

The movie is better than the book.

Other than sharing the same core concept of a young witch who can fly and does deliveries with her cat, the movie's storyline is completely different from the book.
LibraryThing member quondame
Not quite as good as the movie based on it, but a sweet set of adventures for a starter-witch.
LibraryThing member Lea.Pearl
I've watched the movie based off this book more times than I can remember so, to receive an advanced copy of the newest English edition...my inner child is still squealing!

What is there to say about this lovely book? It's the most adorable middle-grade novel I've read. Kiki's adventures are so fun
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and the story is well put together. And, of course, Jiji is just the best witchy cat around :)

I may be a bit biased and overcome with nostalgia, but seriously...best book I've picked up in awhile!
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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Cute story. It's not quite the same as the movie - the challenges are different (odd jobs, fixing the clock, the poem...), and Miyazaki couldn't resist putting in a flying machine (in the book, the boy is only interested in flying, and doesn't have any means of actually doing so). It reads a bit
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younger than the movie feels, to me - Kiki is 13 and feels it. Enjoyable; I think I'd like to read others in the series, if they get translated.
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LibraryThing member Yeti21
I can't give this less than 5 stars. It's perfectly sentimental and incredibly relatable even being older than the target audience.

So many great messages for the children the book is made for too.

Also the artist, Yuta Onodo, did a phenomenal job not just on the jacket art but the illustrations
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throughout. I greatly preferred the art in this to the art in the movie. Is that blasphemous?
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LibraryThing member Jonez
4.25

Such a fun story from start to finish.
LibraryThing member greeniezona
I bought this book on sight due to our family's deep love of the Studio Ghibli movie, and immediately placed it on the family bedtime story shelf. I was delighted when one of the kids picked it quite quickly.

This book is so charming and wholesome. If you only know this story from the movie, it is
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interesting how many scenes are almost perfectly faithful to the book, and then there are also the big Miyazaki-flavored departures. But Kiki and Jiji are just the same, and that's what we are here for, right?

I love Kiki's independence, self-reliance, and positivity, and also Fiji's counterbalance of slightly anxious voice-of-reason. I really loved getting a little more of Kiki' family, home life, and the witch traditions she is part of.

Very lovely.
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LibraryThing member Inky_Fingers
So much fun to read the original story -- it was a lot closer to the movie than I expected.
LibraryThing member Ghost_Boy
I liked this, but the movie was better honestly. My main issue is the writing. It doesn't flow well. Maybe it's the translator. Noticed this with other slice-of-life anime. I did find the book just as relaxing as the movie.
LibraryThing member Familiar_Diversions
Witches exist in the world of this book, but there aren't a lot of them, and magical knowledge and powers are starting to fade away with each generation. The only magic Kiki is capable of is flying on her broom. She also has Jiji, one of the black cats that all young witches are raised with.

Kiki is
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about to turn thirteen, the age at which young witches strike off on their own and find a new town to call home for a year. Although her mother advises her to not choose a big city, Kiki wants more excitement and ends up settling in Koriko. It's daunting at first - no one seems to be very interested in having a witch live in their town - but Kiki manages to carve out a place for herself by starting a delivery service. Her first customer, Mrs. Osono, helps by giving her a place to stay.

Throughout the rest of her first year, Kiki meets new people, delivers everything from a painting to a giant belly band, and gains more confidence in her abilities.

It's been ages since I watched this movie, and I didn't even realize until I heard about this book coming out that it was based on a novel (or series as a whole?). I thought this was charming, although certainly aimed at a younger audience than the stuff I normally read. The translation felt smooth and natural, and I'd easily recommend this to young readers interested in some light coming-of-age fantasy.

Although it's mentioned at the beginning that Kiki and Jiji will eventually go their separate ways, that doesn't happen in this particular book, so no worries about that.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
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Awards

IBBY Honour Book (Writing — 1986)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1985 (Japanese)
2003 (English)

Physical description

208 p.; 5.5 inches

ISBN

1984896660 / 9781984896667

Local notes

young readers

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