David Kudler

Though Japan has been devastated by a century of civil war, Risuko just wants to climb trees. Growing up far from the battlefields and court intrigues, the fatherless girl finds herself pulled into a plot that may reunite Japan -- or may destroy it. She is torn from her home and what is left of her family, but finds new friends at a school that may not be what it seems. Magical but historical, Risuko follows her along the first dangerous steps to discovering who she truly is.

A Kunoichi Tale

Risuko

Joseph Campbell

Mythology and Personal Transformation

Pathways to Bliss

Can one girl stop a killer? The future of Japan hangs in the balance, and it's up to a girl who likes to climb to save the day Two armies have descended on the Full Moon, and the war that has torn Japan apart for over a century threatens to destroy Lady Chiyome's school for young shrine maidens (and assassins). In this thrilling sequel to Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale, Risuko must face warlords, samurai, angry cooks, a monster in the hills, the truth about her father, a spy among the kunoichi... And a murderer. Someone kills a Takeda lieutenant, staging it to look like suicide. Can Risuko figure out who would do such thing? And can she keep it from happening again? Praise for Risuko (Seasons of the Sword #1): Risuko is an artfully crafted novel that evokes a heavy sense of place and enchantment...Risuko's development and evolution are fascinating to watch in this powerful and relentless coming-of-age adventure. - Foreword Reviews Tight, exciting, and thoughtful- Kirkus Reviews Vividly portrayed, flush with cultural detail, and smoothly written. - BookLife BAIPA Book Award-winner

Bright Eyes

Assassination. Espionage. Theft. Across the ages, the headmistresses of three very unusual schools (along with their very unusual students) share a meal Lady Mochizuki Chiyome plays host to two of the only women across all of history who can understand why she teaches young women to do very unladylike things. Like her, Locusta the Poisoner and Ma Mandelbaum run schools for very particular students gifted with very particular talents. Inspired by a conversation with Mackenzi Lee, author of Bygone Badass Broads, this short historical fantasy explores what would happen if three of history's most bloodthirsty schoolmistresses had been able to share a (very carefully checked) meal.

A Kunoichi Companion Tale

Schools for Gifted Youngsters — Monthly Headmistresses' Dinner

Experience the overflowing bounty of the world's greatest collection of folk myths and fairy tales "Shehrzad was a priestess of the psyche secure in her science. The wonderful ease with which she gave not the best of her tales the opening night, yet enough to pique the invalid king’s interest, is one of the subtleties of the collection. Her understanding of the paradoxology of fate was transferred to King Shehriyar’s morbid intellect little by little (never more at a time than a self-righteous tyrant could assimilate), until, in the end, what was there left in the world for him to resist or not to love?" — Joseph Campbell, Foreword, The Thousand and One Nights Translated by John Payne and edited by famed mythologist Joseph Campbell, The Thousand and One Nights appears here in its unexpurgated, bountious glory. From well-known tales like "The Fisherman and the Jinni" and "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad" to hundreds of less well known stories, Shehrzad's entertainments are sure to ravish, awe, and astonish even the most jaded reader. (Arabian and Persian literature, folktales and mythology. 1.2 million words; 116 illustrations)

The Thousand and One Nights

A chance encounter behind enemy lines A Risuko prequel short story Mieko is waiting at a rendezvous behind enemy lines. In the rain. Without a hat. The person who comes up the road is the last person she expected to encounter. Preview: Mieko wanted to leave. She was waiting on a worn stone shrine beneath a dripping red pine. Rain was falling, and she had been waiting here, slowly getting wet, since the clouds had sloshed in around midday. She and Kuniko had split, Mieko searching the area on the south side of the valley while Kuniko searched in the village on the north side. They were looking for young Sachi and Hoshi, the two newest kunoichi, who were supposed to have checked in from their mission at dawn. Mieko wasn’t worried — not really. Kuniko was more than capable of taking care of herself, and Sachi and Hoshi weren’t stupid. Their mission was a fairly simple one: wander up to Tiptown, where the Uesugi commander kept the headquarters for this part of the province, and see if any of the soldiers might let something slip to a couple of pretty girls. It was a mission that Mieko and Kuniko could have done in their sleep — had done more than once — but it seemed like a good, straightforward test for the two younger girls. The two newly initiated kunoichi. But they were behind enemy lines, and they hadn’t arrived at the rendezvous at the roadside shrine this morning. And while Mieko had wanted to charge up to Tiptown to make sure the girls were safe, Kuniko had sensibly pointed out that they had probably just lost track of time or gotten turned around. And so she had suggested that they split up and search this part of the valley before heading into the enemy’s stronghold. They’d agreed to meet up on the main road at this battered old shrine to some nameless forest god. They’d agreed to meet at the hour of the horse — noon, which would give them plenty of daylight to make their way to Tiptown, if they had to. And Mieko had quickly confirmed that no, Sachi and Hoshi weren’t at either of the forest shrines further off the road, nor at any of the farms that dotted the southern side of the valley. And then she’d returned to their meeting point and, as the rain began to fall, she waited. And waited. She wanted to leave, but she couldn’t. She was waiting for Kuniko. And Sachi and Hoshi. Mieko sighed, wiping the drizzle from her eyelashes. She should have worn a hat. A movement to her left startled her —

A Chance Encounter

Waiting for Kuniko

Fifteenth Anniversary Edition with new notes by author David Kudler Sachiko and Kenji just want to welcome the new year in the proper way, but their mother tells them they don't have the money for a New Year's feast. An act of generosity brings help from an unexpected source in this heartwarming Japanese classic. May the Seven Gods of Luck visit you! "A lively adaptation of a Japanese folktale.... The well-paced, carefully plotted text has a sprightly partner in its stylized, gently colored illustrations." - School Library Journal "A sweetly illustrated retelling" - The New York Times

David Kudler

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