Momo

by Michael Ende

Momo is a young homeless girl who befriends and is befriended by the people of a city. They take her in, and she makes their lives more magical and meaningful. She listens to their problems, diffuses neighbor disputes, and transforms the children's games into magical adventures. When the "timesaving" obsession sweeps through the city, making it so on one has any time to spend with people they care about, only Momo and her friends notice the change and can do something about it.

The whimsical adventure in Momo is a clear allegory about modern society. Everyone is in a hurry, we buy countless gadgets and devices to make our lives easier, and yet we seem to have less free time, not more. The book also touches on issues such as how we care for children and the quality of work. Michael Ende, who also wrote The Neverending Story, wrote Momo in 1973, but if anything, his criticisms are more salient in an era of always-on devices. (I almost felt bad that I was reading Momo on my phone as an ebook.)

The story of Momo is marvelous, and kids will enjoy it. But for an adult, it also does a good job at making you reexamine your time and pace of life.

Guardian of the Spirit

by Nahoko Uehashi

Guardian of the Spirit is the first book in a popular ten-book Moribito series of novels by Nahoko Uehashi. The fantasy stories are set in far-away lands long ago, with warriors, magicians, and magical creatures. The best reason to read these books, however, is for the main character. Balsa is a female body-guard who was forced to train at an early age after her father was killed. She's smart and clever, and a very strong and entertaining female character. In this book she is forced to protect a young prince from his enemies, both traditional and magical. I saw the anime series before I read the book, and I actually liked it better because it showed more of Balsa's character, but I suspect the series as a whole is the best. It's a fun, quick read. Only the first two books of the Moribito series have been translated into English so far, but I hope the rest are on the way because it's a fun series.