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Hannah's Winter

3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 · rating details · 138 ratings · 42 reviews

Hannah would much rather be back in Australia, starting high school with her friends. But Japan turns out to be nothing like she d imagined, and when Hannah and her new friend Miki find an ancient message in the stationery shop, they are drawn into solving a mysterious riddle. Why do the beans go berserk during the bean-throwing festival? Who is the evil-eyed woman at Saru...more

Hardcover, 180 pages

Published 2009 by Kane/Miller (first published 2001)

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Oct 22, 2009 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Emily by: Charlotte

Shelves: second-childhood

a wonderfully evocative ghost story and magical fantasy, set in a small spirit-haunted town on the West (and apparently very snowy) coast of Japan, told from the point of view of an Australian girl who is staying with a Japanese family while her mother is off researching a book. This story only gets three stars from me because there was a kind of pedestrian, paint-by-numbers, connect the dots feel to the solving of the ghostly mystery. However, I loved the writing, and was particularly struck by...more

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Oct 20, 2009 Brooke Shirts rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lovely, fun oddball of a book. I don't know if I've seen a better depiction in recent years of the good natured, I-don't-understand-but-let's-just-do-as-the-locals-do feeling of living in a foreign country. The fact that this feeling is sustained through a modern Japanese ghost story is impressive. Meehan manages to capture Japanese culture, especially supernatural folk beliefs, without condescending once. Any book that can describe a custom like the Bean Throwing Festival and both honor its ori...more

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Oct 12, 2009 Eva Mitnick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children, fantasy

12-year-old Hannah lived in Japan for two years when she was in preschool and she's been studying Japanese in school ever since, so it makes sense that her mom decides to bring her along for a 3-month stint in Japan. Her mom is determined not only that Hannah soak up some Japanese culture, but also that she learn 1000 kanji while she's there. The catch - not only will Hannah be missing school back in Australia, but she'll also have to live with a Japanese family and going to school while she's i...more 12-year-old Hannah lived in Japan for two years when she was in preschool and she's been studying Japanese in school ever since, so it makes sense that her mom decides to bring her along for a 3-month stint in Japan. Her mom is determined not only that Hannah soak up some Japanese culture, but also that she learn 1000 kanji while she's there. The catch - not only will Hannah be missing school back in Australia, but she'll also have to live with a Japanese family and going to school while she's in Japan, instead of gallivanting around with her mother exploring Japanese gardens.

The Japanese family, friends of Hannah's mom, turns out to be eccentric but wonderfully nice, and there is a daughter Hannah's age named Miki - and there is also the ghost of a young boy and a mysterious puzzle that Hannah and Miki must solve in order to free him. Mild danger lurks in the form of a malevolent female spirit, but the girls and their neighbor Hiro receive plenty of help and guidance from benevolent spirits and humans alike. The mystery of the little ghost boy - and his amazing link to Hannah - is revealed at the end in a diary entry written in 1840.

We aren't hammered over the head with all the strangeness and oddities of Japanese culture - instead, we catch glimpses of both daily life and culture through Hannah's eyes. Her host family is almost worth a book all to themselves - Otosan ("dad"), who owns a stationery store filled with gorgeous Japanese paper goods, sees ghosts and occasionally sneakily eats raw bear meat despite his family's condemnation; Okaasan ("mom") is busy morning to night with ecological causes; and Granny appoints herself as the Shoe Police (after Hannah keeps forgetting to take hers off when she comes home) and Custodian of Japanese Culture. It's not that characters are particularly well-developed - but they are quirky in the way that all people are when you get to know them and their everyday routines.

Japanese words and bits of history sprinkled throughout the story, combined with atmospheric ancient gardens and temples, create a distinctly Japanese setting - while Hannah's voice, fresh and with a willingness to see the humor in almost any situation, has what I think of as a very Australian tone. There isn't much suspense - the scariest parts come not from the malevolent spirit but from the ghostly boy's harmless pranks - and the plot moves forward in a steady but leisurely way. What I found most compelling was not the fantastical elements but the wonderful setting, with its mixture of modern and traditional Japan. Fans of J-culture may wish for more details on fashion and food - and there is not a mention of manga to be found - but it has plenty of fascinating elements nevertheless.

Although it is (mistakenly, I feel) in the Young Adult collection of our library system (if I had seen it first, it would have gone in the children's collection! But there you go - no system is perfect) this would be an entertaining read for kids ages 10 - 13.

(less)

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Mar 05, 2012 Brandy Painter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-6-fantasy, fantasy, contemporary-fiction, middle-grade

Originally posted here.

Hannah's Winter by Kierin Meehan was recommended to me by Charlotte of Charlotte's Library. Thanks Charlotte! I might otherwise never known of its existence, which would have been incredibly sad. I really liked this book, but acknowledge it may not be for the enjoyment of everyone. It is a book that, in the hands of the right reader, will work magic. I happened to be one of those readers.

Hannah's Winter is a slow journey. Much of the book is spent getting to know the small...more Originally posted here.

Hannah's Winter by Kierin Meehan was recommended to me by Charlotte of Charlotte's Library. Thanks Charlotte! I might otherwise never known of its existence, which would have been incredibly sad. I really liked this book, but acknowledge it may not be for the enjoyment of everyone. It is a book that, in the hands of the right reader, will work magic. I happened to be one of those readers.

Hannah's Winter is a slow journey. Much of the book is spent getting to know the small Japanese city she is now calling home, a mix of historic and modern. It is only by the time we know Hannah, her companions, and the city well that the fantastic elements are introduced. Spirits are unsettled and it seems Hannah is the one who can settle them. Her quest takes her to many interesting places and she meets many interesting people. Hannah and her friends, Miki and Hiro, are definitely the most interesting. I was struck by how genuine Hannah's voice was. She sounds exactly like a smart 12 year old., and equal combination of assured opinions and fear of the unknown. (Her descriptions and opinion of her mother are particularly funny, and while she mocks her greatly she also loves her well.)

Honestly though I think my favorite part of this book might be its utter lack of Americaness. Yes, it is about a foreigner in Japan, but not an American one. She is Australian and she speaks fluent Japanese. She learned it at school. One interesting insight I have gained reading all the Australian authors I have been reading of late is that there are a lot of similarities between American and Australian mindsets, culture, and worldviews. There is an overwhelming an interesting contrast too though. The contrast that comes from a context half a world away. It's fascinating and it works favorably for this book. Readers will gain an interesting look at a foreign country and culture, but it never seems too foreign because for Hannah it's not.

If you are interested in books about other places and people or books with modern fantasy, and don't mind slow journeys, I highly recommend this. I would say that despite the description's mention that Hannah will be starting high school this is definitely a MG book. That means something different in Australia than in the US. In Australia, depending on where you live, HS starts in year 7 or 8. Hannah is only 12.

Note on Content: Some religious parents might find the spiritual elements of this book concerning. It does open the door for interesting discussions on the belief systems of different people in cultures, but you should know this element is there.(less)

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Oct 17, 2011 07holleet rated it 3 of 5 stars

“Here, read this” my mom says. “What is it?” I ask. “A book” is her reply. Gee thanks… I flip to the inside front cover. The first thing I read is “why do the beans go berserk during the bean throwing festival?” and “Why is Hannah attacked by flying donuts?” Uhh… This should be good…
Hannah’s mom is a horticulturist, and when she moves to Japan to study Japanese Gardeners, she drags Hannah along with her. While Hannah’s mom travels all around Japan, Hannah stays with her mom’s friends, the Maek...more

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Jun 18, 2009 Nicole rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of The Egypt Game

Shelves: fantasy-undragon-such, middle-grade

Such a strange, little book. It's not easily relegated to a category, which I appreciate. Ghost story, mystery, cross-cultural exchange...

An Australian girl who speaks Japanese goes to live in Japan for a few months and stumbles into a ghost story. There is a mysterious letter, poltergeist activity, and sneaking through temples and shrines at midnight. Oh, yes, and donuts.

The writing was uneven and choppy. Lots of short sentences that could have been combined to create a more gentle flow. "He fe...more

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May 13, 2010 M. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hannah, an Australian 11-year old, is left to live in Japan with the family of a friend of her mother (who has research work to do). Brother and father are in Australia. Because Hannah speaks Japanese and because the family has a daughter slightly older than she is, she fits in beautifully. She finds an old box of toys with an ambiguous poem in it and shortly afterwards, and in steps, finds out that she needs to help the ghost of a long-dead Samurai boy so his spirit can rest. With the help of t...more

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Dec 15, 2010 Brenda Young added it

Shelves: new-books-to-redland-s-media-center

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Sep 14, 2009 Deanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Realistic, fantasy, mystery--friendship, culture (takes place in Japan), winter.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Japan from reading this book. The descriptions were amazing of temples, houses, winter season, etc. A mystery evolves and that is where I got tired of reading. The first 1/2 of the book is all about the girl getting situated in this new home, going to school, etc and then when they start trying to solve a mystery I got turned off. For some reason it wasn't as interesting for m...more

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Apr 26, 2010 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars

A ghost story set in Japan by Australian author Kierin Meehan introduces us to what the Japanese think about ghosts. Every culture has different beliefs, and we see how young Hannah, an Australian teen spending a winter in Japan adapts to not only language and culture barriers, but also the ghost of a young boy that haunts the house she is staying in. Many twists and turns take us on a tour a Japan and it's sacred shrines and temples as Hannah and her Japanese "sister" Miki, try to solve the anc...more

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May 08, 2009 Kris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookreviewcenter, youngadult

Recommended for gr. 6-8. The fantasy elements of this novel are a little too fantastical, I think, for more sophisticated readers (mysterious samurai suit of armor blowing smoke in different colors). That said, the book paints a small portrait of life in modern Japan. 12-year-old Hannah is spending time in Japan living with a Japanese family while her journalist mother researches a series of articles. She and the daughter of the family find clues to a ghostly mystery from the past and with the h...more

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Jun 11, 2009 Scarlett Sims rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, leisure, ya

This was a cute book, definitely aimed more at the younger end of YA, probably like middle school. It's a good puzzle mystery type story and I do feel that the protagonist's voice was realistic for a young person. There are cultural and historical details and an author's note at the end describing what is real and what is not, which I think is really useful. I would recommend this book to younger teens who are interested in ghost stories or Japanese culture, or to a teacher who wants a book to h...more

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Sep 16, 2009 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hannah, a twelve-year-old Australian girl who spends the winter in Japan living with a friend of her mother's. While there she and her new friend Miki stumble across and ancient riddle that involves them in a supernatural mystery. This multi-cultural book weaves a great deal of interesting cultural and historic details about Japan into the storyline. Although the characters are well drawn and the setting is fantastic, the story itself is at times far fetched. Appropriate for middle school reader...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Anne Hamilton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, children, ya

Perhaps this is a fantasy novel, perhaps not. Magic realism, perhaps? A Japanese warlord buys property in Van Dieman's Land: that tidbit is apparently actually true.

This is the sort of book that makes me question the definition of fantasy. I'm almost reluctant to place it in that category but I don't know where else to put it either. There's magic but there's also the successful attempt to explain most of that magic away. I had the feeling Meehan was trying hard to eliminate any sense of the per...more

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Nov 08, 2009 Elizabeth K. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Elizabeth by: Horn Book

Shelves: 2009-new-reads

This read (pleasantly) just like a random Scholastic book club paperback from my youth (not any particular one, but rather the concept) - kids solve a riddle hidden in a box of antique toys, and there's a ghost. The main character is a 12 year old Australian girl who is spending the winter with family friends on the west coast of Japan, so there are also plenty of opportunities for a character to suddenly share a trivia point about Japanese culture, language or history. What was that show on PBS...more

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Jun 24, 2009 Betsy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I run a bookgroup for homeschooled kids between the ages of 9 and 14 out of my library. They're good kids and voracious readers but they serve as a strange litmus test of what kids out there are reading and enjoying today. I often will bring them new books out of curiosity and once in a while, they surprise me with their insights. For example, I got a bunch of Kane/Miller books in the other day so I spread `em out on the table to see who bit. Considering how jaded I am in general, I assumed that...more I run a bookgroup for homeschooled kids between the ages of 9 and 14 out of my library. They're good kids and voracious readers but they serve as a strange litmus test of what kids out there are reading and enjoying today. I often will bring them new books out of curiosity and once in a while, they surprise me with their insights. For example, I got a bunch of Kane/Miller books in the other day so I spread `em out on the table to see who bit. Considering how jaded I am in general, I assumed that the classy cover bereft of even a hint of glitter would make little to no impact on them. How wrong I was. One of my girls zeroed in on Hannah's Winter and plucked it up right there and then. For a fantasy, Kierein Meehan's novel sports a pretty tasteful and serene cover. Next week my homeschooler was back, and she informed me in no uncertain terms, "It's really good." From the horse's mouth. Who was I to argue? Her vote plus the starred Kirkus review this book has garnered were enough to get me reading it as well. And darned if she wasn't right all along! Steeped in extensive details about modern small town Japanese life, Hannah's Winter is like nothing out there on American bookshelves for kids. Got a kid who loves fantasy? Got a kid that loves Japan? Meehan delivers the goods in spades.

Worst. Mother. Ever. Maybe that's a bit harsh. But believe you me, Hannah is not feeling particularly charitable towards her mom when she finds herself picked up from Australia and left in Kanazawa, a city on the west coast of Japan's largest island, Honshu. Forced to stay with one of her mom's friends and a girl roughly her own age, Hannah quickly finds herself immersed in an entirely new world. The Maekawas are nice people who run a paper shop. When Mr. Maekawa receives a mysterious box containing a piece of paper with instructions on it, Hannah suddenly finds herself plunged into a historical mystery and the ghost of a young boy. With her friend Miki and the boy next door, the three kids work to decipher the riddle and help the ghost, even if it means going against an unknown evil. An extensive Author's Note gives further information on Kanazawa and offers commentary on the real life places and people mentioned in the book.

The crazy thing about this book is that in spite of its fantasy elements, this is the kind of story fans of realistic fiction will also dig. Meehan has a dead keen talent for conjuring up the feel of different places, temperatures, colors, and sights. You don't just get a sense of Japan in this book. You live it. You're there. Heck, on top of that I've hardly ever read a book that did as good a job at describing wet snow. Meehan has conjured it up perfectly here, getting down its dampness and the sheer annoyance of slush. Or when discussing having to take off your shoes in a poorly heated building, "my feet snap-froze to blocks of ice as soon as we took off our shoes." Slightly less keen is her skill with people and their emotions. I'm not saying Meehan is bad at them or anything. Certainly Hannah is a three-dimensional character, full of sparkle and energy. I think it's just that when compared the love lavished on the setting, Meehan's strength clearly lies in putting you in a character's eyes, if not shoes.

The written language itself serves as sufficient enticement for picking this book up, I think. I took particular pleasure in sentences like, "Its light quivered across walls and floors, across the other papery patterns and shapes around it, bending their sharp edges and colors into hazy uncertainty." Or how about this look at a city's downtown area during snowy dusk: "Along the footpaths, tiny gold lights shone from spindly, naked branches of thin trees, like delicate hands in black jeweled gloves."

As with any book that takes place in another country, there is the little matter of communication. But the language barrier is cleverly covered here by allowing Hannah to be proficient in speaking Japanese (her mother taught her). Just not at writing it. Of course there is the occasional moment when I'm not entirely certain if there's a Japanese equivalent for what she says. For example, there may well be a way of saying, "No problems, Mr. S" in Japanese, but it sounds pretty particular to English for my tastes.

This book was originally published in Australia, a fact that you can mostly forget. However, there are a couple moments when Hannah's speech (and she is Australian herself, remember) utilizes words or phrases not usually thrown about in American conversations. There may be some American kids that can parse the sentence, "Wild Wattle is the world's pongiest," or "She's like David Suzuki and Ita Buttrose rolled into one," but it's definitely not a given. I liked that, though. I like it when publishers bring in books from other countries and don't Americanize the speech. It gives the books a distinctive flavor when they contain the occasional Australianism. Wakes `em up.

The homeschooler I handed this book off to left me a note in the front when she gave it back to me. In it, she mentions that the author got the Japanese character for winter slightly wrong. The character appears at the beginning of each chapter and, according to my twelve-year-old source, lacks two little slash marks. However, due to the fact that this is my only source of Japanese written know-how, you will need to consult with your own expert in the field to determine whether or not this is correct. I trust her, but suspect there might be another reason why the character looks the way it does.

With the rise of manga amongst kids today, fascination with Japan has reached an all-time fever pitch amongst our tween and adolescents. I know kids who study the language with the sole dream of someday getting to visit Japan themselves someday. But if I look on my library's shelves, I don't see much of anything speaking to this need. How many contemporary novels for kids can you name that take place in Japan? The pickings are slim to none. This book stands as a delight, mixing realism and fantasy in a believable fashion. There is a need for this title on our library's shelves. Those kids meant to find it, will. Like nothing else you can name.

For ages 9-12.(less)

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Jun 11, 2009 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Amanda by: I wish I knew

I wish I could remember why I wanted to read this. I'm pretty sure I came across it when researching books to add to the summer reading lists, and I wanted to make sure it was OK for 5th/6th graders. It is.

If you're going to read this book, you should know that it's not a fantasy adventure, no matter what anyone else says. It took me half the book to get over the fact that *nothing happens*. Once I realized that it is a realistic story with a ghost and a (small) mystery, I was fine.

This book mad...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I suspect that the year I obsessed over Susan Cooper's books, I would have found this one equally enticing. I did enjoy the glimpse into Japanese culture, but had my usual complaints about middle reader books (foremost of which is a lack of character growth). I also wished the backstory we learned at the end had been more of the focus of the book --- I thought it was much more interesting than the actual story.

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Sep 13, 2009 Peg rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids_fiction

My reaction is mixed. The book started slowly, but it picked up as it went. Lots of people introduced early on, with Japanese thrown in. The characters seemed younger than their age in the book. Some of the mystery was very interesting; some of the fantasy didn't work well.
Not sure who the age is--not YA even though characters are high school.

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Nov 01, 2009 Karin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Karin by: 2 starred reviews

Shelves: australian, middlegrade, mystery

Really kinda neat story about Australian 'tween who goes to stay with friends in Japan (while her mother travels for her job) and gets caught up in a ghost story/mystery that has her traveling all over the area and picking up supernatural clues. Guess it won some prizes in Australia the year it came out; only released this year in US.

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Dec 08, 2009 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-books

I really wanted to love LOVE this book but alas I only enjoy it. I found the Japanese setting unique and fun but I almost felt that the author overlooked the plot in order to "teach" us about Japan. It was quite confusing the whole mystery and sadly by the end of the book I found myself bored with the book.

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Mar 05, 2010 Marci rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Angela Boone

Shelves: juvenile, paranormal, read-in-2010, japan

I really enjoyed this book. Hannah an Australian teen is spending some time in Japan with old family friends while her mom is working in Japan. She'd rather stay home in Australia with her dad and brother, but her mom wants her to practice her Japanese kanji. While there Hannah gets involved with a ghost haunting the house she's staying at. Can she & the rest of the household set the ghost's soul free? This was a really great book to learn about Japanese culture and everyday life in Japan. I...more

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Feb 08, 2011 Susan.park rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have finished reading this book.
I enjoyed reading this book, because there were many adventure scenes in this book (which I enjoyed very much) and also contained lots of mystery. By reading this book I got to know more about the Japanese culture.

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Jul 24, 2009 Dragon Eyes Loves Manga rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hannah's Winter was a bit of a ghost story. It was a fun book, but it wasn't for serious readers. The girls find a letter in a box of century old toys and have to solve it so this boy can rest in peace. It was a cute story, but not all that good.

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Feb 10, 2010 Abby rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very unusual mix of genres (contemporary realistic fiction at first, then ghost story, then mystery), this was a surprisingly fun read. I learned a lot about Japanese culture, too. Try it if you're looking for something different.

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Jul 22, 2009 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting... thought the main characters could've been better developed. Usually I recommend paring a book down by 100 pages to improve it, but I think this one could've used another 100 pages to fill it out.

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May 10, 2011 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids

Pros: Liked the cover, interesting concept.

Cons: The writing felt generally stilted and average, and the dialogue unnatural. The transition between real life and the fantastical was jarring - I enjoy fantasy but this didn't work for me.

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May 23, 2009 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: j-fiction

An odd book - part ghost story, part fantasy, part historical, part realistic. It was good, but I felt almost like an outsider reading it. Of course, that may have been part of the point.

5th and 6th grade

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Feb 13, 2010 Jason Penckofer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: australia, authorsnote, fiction, ghosts, consider10-11, japan, snow, winter, bob10-11

A reletively tame ghost story with lots information about Japan. Too much talk of donuts (but only because I had no donuts).

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Jul 01, 2011 Shauna marked it as to-read

Sophia loved this book. I need to read it to discover WHY and what Sophia is enjoying in books lately.

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About Kierin Meehan

Kierin Meehan wanted to be a ballet dancer or a veterinarian, until she discovered she didn't like wearing pointe shoes and was afraid of animals. She studied at the University of Queensland, where she received a degree in German and Japanese. Kierin lives in Brisbane, Queensland.

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“I don't want to be unkind, but you girls seem really stupid.” — 2 people liked it

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