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Takeshita Demons #1
Takeshita Demons
Miku Takeshita and her family have moved from Japan to live in the UK, but unfortunately the family's enemy demons have followed them! Miku knows she's in trouble when her new supply teacher turns out to be a Nukekubi - a bloodthirsty demon who can turn into a flying head and whose favourite snack is children. That night, in a raging snowstorm, Miku's little brother Kazu is kidnapped by the demons, and then it's up to Miku and her friend Cait to get him back. The girls break into their snow-locked school, confronting the dragon-like Woman of the Wet, and outwitting the faceless Nopera-bo. At last they come face to face with the Nukekubi itself - but will they be in time to save Kazu?
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Cristy Burne
24 books19 followersCristy Burne is an internationally published award-winning children’s author working on the intersection of story, science, technology and creativity.
Cristy has worked at CERN (home of the Large Hadron Collider!), at Questacon (as part of a science circus!), and in a ute (as a rubbish collector!). She has also bungee-jumped, sky-dived, back-packed, and exploded sewage on her neighbour.
Cristy’s books have been shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Book Awards and the Wilderness Society’s Environment Award for Children’s Literature, won the WA Young Readers Book Awards, and been recognised as Notable Books in the Children’s Book Council of the Australia awards.
Cristy’s latest titles include Fiona Wood: Inventor of Spray-on Skin, Beneath The Trees, and the co-authored Wednesday Weeks science-meets-fantasy series of comedy adventures.
Cristy has worked at CERN (home of the Large Hadron Collider!), at Questacon (as part of a science circus!), and in a ute (as a rubbish collector!). She has also bungee-jumped, sky-dived, back-packed, and exploded sewage on her neighbour.
Cristy’s books have been shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Book Awards and the Wilderness Society’s Environment Award for Children’s Literature, won the WA Young Readers Book Awards, and been recognised as Notable Books in the Children’s Book Council of the Australia awards.
Cristy’s latest titles include Fiona Wood: Inventor of Spray-on Skin, Beneath The Trees, and the co-authored Wednesday Weeks science-meets-fantasy series of comedy adventures.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 28, 2016
While I would give the book maybe three or even a measley two stars if I read it quietly by myself (not a horror fan), I'm giving it five for my review because it was such an excellent, A+, enjoyable readaloud book for my students! There's nothing like a classroom full of kids begging you to read for "just five more minutes, puh-leeeaaaaase???" every. single. week.
November 10, 2025
I bought Takeshita Demons second-hand a few years ago. I’m not sure what drew me towards it, since I never read horror and don’t particularly care for demon fighting.
I finally started reading it and planned to stop when the book became unlikeable, so I could pass it on guilt free, but that moment never came.
For those who aren’t aware, Takeshita demons is Cristy Burne’s debut novel. It felt special to read her first book and I was extra interested as she is an Australian writer.
Cristy Burne’s writing is charming and captivating from the start. The main character Miku and her best friend Cait are brave and smart girls who engage in creative problem solving. Their friendship is one of the best aspects of the story. Cait is loyal, trustworthy and ensures the pair don’t fight evil on an empty stomach. I enjoyed the references to Japanese culture and folklore. As the horror and suspense build, the pacing seems to move quickly from the middle to the end. The resolving variety of paranormal entities keeps the reader guessing. Overall, it’s a very engaging read.
I think Takeshita Demons could be improved by adding more scenes with the characters so we have more time to get to know them and connect with them. It would have been nice to see how the characters adjust to normal life after what they’ve been through.
Whilst the ending is satisfying, she leaves us with plenty of questions about Miku and her family. Perhaps Cristy intentionally left it short and sweet to draw readers into the sequel, which happens to be longer. The preview of the next book was a nice touch!
Takeshita Demons would make for an enjoyable kid’s cartoon.
I finally started reading it and planned to stop when the book became unlikeable, so I could pass it on guilt free, but that moment never came.
For those who aren’t aware, Takeshita demons is Cristy Burne’s debut novel. It felt special to read her first book and I was extra interested as she is an Australian writer.
Cristy Burne’s writing is charming and captivating from the start. The main character Miku and her best friend Cait are brave and smart girls who engage in creative problem solving. Their friendship is one of the best aspects of the story. Cait is loyal, trustworthy and ensures the pair don’t fight evil on an empty stomach. I enjoyed the references to Japanese culture and folklore. As the horror and suspense build, the pacing seems to move quickly from the middle to the end. The resolving variety of paranormal entities keeps the reader guessing. Overall, it’s a very engaging read.
I think Takeshita Demons could be improved by adding more scenes with the characters so we have more time to get to know them and connect with them. It would have been nice to see how the characters adjust to normal life after what they’ve been through.
Whilst the ending is satisfying, she leaves us with plenty of questions about Miku and her family. Perhaps Cristy intentionally left it short and sweet to draw readers into the sequel, which happens to be longer. The preview of the next book was a nice touch!
Takeshita Demons would make for an enjoyable kid’s cartoon.
February 6, 2017
Ten Second Synopsis:
Miku, who loved hearing stories of Yokai from her Baba, has moved to England with her family. When a disappearing visitor knocks on the door, Miku is thrust into a dangerous situation, as Yokai of all types begin troubling the Takeshita family.
If you are a fan of fantasy and mild horror for middle grade readers, then this should be a delightfully dangerous change of pace, featuring, as it does, monsters from the rich and complex mythology of Japan. This opening book alone includes a nukekubi (a demon that can detach its head at night and send it out hunting), an amazake-baba (a demon that takes the shape of an old woman but brings sickness and disease if you let her in) and even some murderous curtains. And that's not the half of it.
If you are on the lookout for books featuring characters from diverse backgrounds, Miku and her family are Japanese, living in England. There are plenty of Japanese words and descriptions of various customs scattered throughout, as well as a glossary of the demons that appear in the story at the end of the book.
The plot is deliciously creepy without being outright scary and so is perfectly suitable for younger readers. As an adult reader I found it a fast and fun romp with a few spine-shiver-inducing elements. I read it over about three days in short bursts, so it's not an overwhelming read for independent young readers. Even though the protagonists are female, the action and monsters should appeal to young male readers also, making this a book that should be a winner for everyone!
Also, it's illustrated! Throughout the book there are single page illustrations that help to bring the monstrous demons to life.
I did have a few cringes at the plotting at some points. The heroines do overcome the demons at the end, but have a bit of help that comes along in quite a handy fashion. There are obviously parts of this book, such as the references to the Takeshita's house-spirit back in Japan, and the allusions to the powers inherited by the female line of the family, that will be expanded on further in later books in the series. This didn't bother me too much, because I already have the next two stories in my possession, but may be an sticking point for someone reading this as a standalone story.
The author also has a tendency to throw in apparently random occurrences here and there, such as the noppera-bo (faceless ghost) and the yuki-onna (woman of the snow). These characters don't end up having much to do with the story, so either they've been introduced to give the reader an idea of the variety of Japanese spirits getting around the place, or they might play a part in later books. Either way, their inclusion did amount to a number of red-herrings that ended up being a bit annoying because I wanted to know what their role in the story was going to be.
Overall though, this was a fun read and I can't wait to get stuck into the next in the series.
Miku, who loved hearing stories of Yokai from her Baba, has moved to England with her family. When a disappearing visitor knocks on the door, Miku is thrust into a dangerous situation, as Yokai of all types begin troubling the Takeshita family.
If you are a fan of fantasy and mild horror for middle grade readers, then this should be a delightfully dangerous change of pace, featuring, as it does, monsters from the rich and complex mythology of Japan. This opening book alone includes a nukekubi (a demon that can detach its head at night and send it out hunting), an amazake-baba (a demon that takes the shape of an old woman but brings sickness and disease if you let her in) and even some murderous curtains. And that's not the half of it.
If you are on the lookout for books featuring characters from diverse backgrounds, Miku and her family are Japanese, living in England. There are plenty of Japanese words and descriptions of various customs scattered throughout, as well as a glossary of the demons that appear in the story at the end of the book.
The plot is deliciously creepy without being outright scary and so is perfectly suitable for younger readers. As an adult reader I found it a fast and fun romp with a few spine-shiver-inducing elements. I read it over about three days in short bursts, so it's not an overwhelming read for independent young readers. Even though the protagonists are female, the action and monsters should appeal to young male readers also, making this a book that should be a winner for everyone!
Also, it's illustrated! Throughout the book there are single page illustrations that help to bring the monstrous demons to life.
I did have a few cringes at the plotting at some points. The heroines do overcome the demons at the end, but have a bit of help that comes along in quite a handy fashion. There are obviously parts of this book, such as the references to the Takeshita's house-spirit back in Japan, and the allusions to the powers inherited by the female line of the family, that will be expanded on further in later books in the series. This didn't bother me too much, because I already have the next two stories in my possession, but may be an sticking point for someone reading this as a standalone story.
The author also has a tendency to throw in apparently random occurrences here and there, such as the noppera-bo (faceless ghost) and the yuki-onna (woman of the snow). These characters don't end up having much to do with the story, so either they've been introduced to give the reader an idea of the variety of Japanese spirits getting around the place, or they might play a part in later books. Either way, their inclusion did amount to a number of red-herrings that ended up being a bit annoying because I wanted to know what their role in the story was going to be.
Overall though, this was a fun read and I can't wait to get stuck into the next in the series.
October 11, 2014
This book is a very quick read, easily finished in one sitting. I probably would have enjoyed it more at a younger age. I found the references to Japanese culture and stories to be very interesting. The fact that the main characters are much younger makes it harder to connect with them, but it is interesting because you really do feel that the main characters(Miku and Cait) are quite young and it is often hard to simplify writing in such a way to bring that across without making them sound stupid, at least that is my opinion.
The story itself had a bit of back story that I would like to read more about in the next book, just to understand more about the main character's family(the Takeshita's). All in all I will continue the series because it's nice to read something that I can finish overnight.
The story itself had a bit of back story that I would like to read more about in the next book, just to understand more about the main character's family(the Takeshita's). All in all I will continue the series because it's nice to read something that I can finish overnight.
November 1, 2015
Review to come
December 23, 2019
I enjoyed this very much. I picked it up in a bookshop charity shop. Originally I wasnt going to buy anything but this book caught my eye and, boy, am I glad it did. It was amazing from the start to the finish. It wasn't very long, but it was still magnificent. Then came the end. It was overpowered by something, trying not to give it away. The author seemed to get bored of the book and wanted to finish it off quickly. However, the beginning to the bear end was great.
August 23, 2019
I love the book, it's obviously about demons (Japanese demons) and it's a great descriptive book.
It's a horror, mystery? book and the characters are Miku (main character), her friend, Kazu (her brother), Nukekubi, Baba, and Zachiko.
10/10 great book.
It's a horror, mystery? book and the characters are Miku (main character), her friend, Kazu (her brother), Nukekubi, Baba, and Zachiko.
10/10 great book.
December 9, 2019
Picked this up in a charity shop. My overall opinion is that I think this book is good. I enjoyed this very much so. Cant wait to read the next one.
January 31, 2024
pretty cool concepts and good story line
December 21, 2022
Seruuuu bangettt, ini baca kelanjutannya yang versi Bahasa Indonesia di mana ya??😔😔 penasaran banget
Ini seru tapi aku rada bingung sama endingnya yang tiba - tiba aja udah pagi😃
Ini seru tapi aku rada bingung sama endingnya yang tiba - tiba aja udah pagi😃
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2012
gw masukin horor soalnya ada hantu2-nya...
Ceritanya Miku pindah ke London setelah Baba-nya meninggal. Baba Miku ini semacam psychic gt, suka berhubungan sama hantu dan kenal banyak sama hantu. Miku sering diceritain macam2 hantu yang baik dan jahat.
Suatu hari, di sekolah Miku ada guru pengganti yg ciri2nya kayak Nukekubi, hantu yang bisa melepas kepalanya gt. Guru ini punya bekas merah di sekeliling lehernya yang ditutupi kalung, dan suka menggaruk2 bagian lehernya itu, pokoknya ciri2nya menunjukkan dia positif nukekubi, trus dia kayak ngincer si Miku gt, ngomong di depan kelas pake bahasa Jepang sama Miku, Miku disuruh bacain tugas karangannya, sampai akhirnya kelas pulang lebih awal karena ada badai salju. Temen Miku, Cait, ikut pulang ke apartemen Miku. Sampai di sana, ibunya Miku masuk RS gara2 kepeleset, adik Miku, Kazu, sakit di rumah sama tetangganya yg jagain. Miku nyampe rumah, tetangganya pulang, trus ayah Cait dateng jemput Cait, tapi tiba2 ada telepon yg ternyata dari ayah Cait juga. Ternyata yg jemput Cait itu hantu, pas masuk rumah Kazu uda ilang aja. Akhirnya Miku dan Cait pergi nyari Kazu yang kemungkinan diculik Nukekubi yang nyamar jadi guru pengganti itu. terjadilah kejar2an di sekolah sama ketemu sama macam2 hantu.
sebenernya bagus, tapi ada kata-kata yang jarang dipake kayak: bergeliang, menyengir, dan typo-nya bertebaran, dan yang paling menyebalkan bab terakhir kayak ada yang hilang gitu, padahal halamannya berurutan, ini yg paling bikin kesel, soalnya disebutin semua keturunan Baba punya kekuatan termasuk Miku, eh lagi seru2nya dalam keadaan genting, tiba2 halaman berikutnya uda pagi aja gitu, trus hantunya entah diapain... ah menyebalkan...
Ceritanya Miku pindah ke London setelah Baba-nya meninggal. Baba Miku ini semacam psychic gt, suka berhubungan sama hantu dan kenal banyak sama hantu. Miku sering diceritain macam2 hantu yang baik dan jahat.
Suatu hari, di sekolah Miku ada guru pengganti yg ciri2nya kayak Nukekubi, hantu yang bisa melepas kepalanya gt. Guru ini punya bekas merah di sekeliling lehernya yang ditutupi kalung, dan suka menggaruk2 bagian lehernya itu, pokoknya ciri2nya menunjukkan dia positif nukekubi, trus dia kayak ngincer si Miku gt, ngomong di depan kelas pake bahasa Jepang sama Miku, Miku disuruh bacain tugas karangannya, sampai akhirnya kelas pulang lebih awal karena ada badai salju. Temen Miku, Cait, ikut pulang ke apartemen Miku. Sampai di sana, ibunya Miku masuk RS gara2 kepeleset, adik Miku, Kazu, sakit di rumah sama tetangganya yg jagain. Miku nyampe rumah, tetangganya pulang, trus ayah Cait dateng jemput Cait, tapi tiba2 ada telepon yg ternyata dari ayah Cait juga. Ternyata yg jemput Cait itu hantu, pas masuk rumah Kazu uda ilang aja. Akhirnya Miku dan Cait pergi nyari Kazu yang kemungkinan diculik Nukekubi yang nyamar jadi guru pengganti itu. terjadilah kejar2an di sekolah sama ketemu sama macam2 hantu.
sebenernya bagus, tapi ada kata-kata yang jarang dipake kayak: bergeliang, menyengir, dan typo-nya bertebaran, dan yang paling menyebalkan bab terakhir kayak ada yang hilang gitu, padahal halamannya berurutan, ini yg paling bikin kesel, soalnya disebutin semua keturunan Baba punya kekuatan termasuk Miku, eh lagi seru2nya dalam keadaan genting, tiba2 halaman berikutnya uda pagi aja gitu, trus hantunya entah diapain... ah menyebalkan...
October 18, 2010
This exciting adventure features Japanese supernatural demons – yokai – and a young girl’s fight to protect her younger brother. Yokai are well known in Japan and still an important part of Japanese folklore, but they are little known outside of Japan. Twelve-year-old Miku Takeshita has recently moved to London, but she misses her grandmother terribly. In Japan, her grandmother taught her about the secrets of the spirit world, including Zashiko, the child-ghost who protected them from hostile spirits and demons. But Miku’s grandmother has died and it is up to Miku to remember these traditions and secrets. Every day, Miku tries to remember to check that the cedar leave is still placed above the door to protect her family from evil spirits. But her mother thinks this is all nonsense. One winter day, Miku arrives at school to find that they have a substitute teacher who turns out to be an evil, child-eating nukekubi demon. That night, strange events start happening and Miku’s little brother disappears while she is watching over him. A breathless adventure follows, with Miku and her friend Cait battling the nukekubi, with her flying head and supernatural powers. This is a fast-paced story that will appeal to readers who are looking for a scary story with a Japanese Manga twist.
June 29, 2011
Takeshita Demons starts off with a Labyrinth-like premise: a young girl's must rescue her baby brother who has been taken by demons from another world. Toss in a substitute teacher who is actually a Japanese demon whose head detaches from her body at night, a major snowstorm that empties the schools early and strands parents away from the kids, and you have the makings for a great MG story.
The problem is Takeshita Demons never really gets its footing. The characters are sketches of characters, hastily drawn so as to not interfere with the action and suspense. The main character, Miku, (whose name I had to look up online) and her best friend, an Irish girl named Cait, lacked the details necessary to make them real to me. Early references to Miku's grandmother, who kept the family protected from demons when they were in Japan, is glossed over far too briefly for her importance to the story.
I found myself disappointed by Takeshita Demons both for the lack of character development and the fact that a MG book with two potentially strong female characters is somewhat rare and should use the strength of those characters to propel younger readers into further reading.
The problem is Takeshita Demons never really gets its footing. The characters are sketches of characters, hastily drawn so as to not interfere with the action and suspense. The main character, Miku, (whose name I had to look up online) and her best friend, an Irish girl named Cait, lacked the details necessary to make them real to me. Early references to Miku's grandmother, who kept the family protected from demons when they were in Japan, is glossed over far too briefly for her importance to the story.
I found myself disappointed by Takeshita Demons both for the lack of character development and the fact that a MG book with two potentially strong female characters is somewhat rare and should use the strength of those characters to propel younger readers into further reading.
August 1, 2012
Miku on Japanista Englantiin muuttanut tyttö joka saa huomata, että hänen kotimaansa henget ovat jostain syystä seuranneet häntä.
Tarinassa olisi aineksia vaikka kuinka. Ihmisiä syövistä irtopäistä japanilaisiin perinteisiin demoneihin ja henkiolentoihin, mutta hiukan henkilöt jäävät ohuiksi ja kiireellä luonnostelluiksi ja tarina on ohi ennen kuin lukija ehtii päättää kiintyisikö päähenkilöihin eli Mikuun ja irlantilaiseen ystävättäreen. Ruutia ja ammuksia siis olisi, mutta tähtäystä täytyy tulevissa osissa tarkistaa. Plussaa tavallisuudesta poikkeavasta pahis ja demonimaailmasta.
Mennenee vinkkauskoriin. Kyllä tätä mangatytöille ja vieraista kulttuureista kiinnostuneille naskeille kehtaa tarjota. Katsellaan nyt mihin suuntaan sarja alkaa kehittymään.
Tarinassa olisi aineksia vaikka kuinka. Ihmisiä syövistä irtopäistä japanilaisiin perinteisiin demoneihin ja henkiolentoihin, mutta hiukan henkilöt jäävät ohuiksi ja kiireellä luonnostelluiksi ja tarina on ohi ennen kuin lukija ehtii päättää kiintyisikö päähenkilöihin eli Mikuun ja irlantilaiseen ystävättäreen. Ruutia ja ammuksia siis olisi, mutta tähtäystä täytyy tulevissa osissa tarkistaa. Plussaa tavallisuudesta poikkeavasta pahis ja demonimaailmasta.
Mennenee vinkkauskoriin. Kyllä tätä mangatytöille ja vieraista kulttuureista kiinnostuneille naskeille kehtaa tarjota. Katsellaan nyt mihin suuntaan sarja alkaa kehittymään.
November 11, 2014
petualangan takeshita miku -anak jepang yg keluarganya pindah ke london- dan sahabatnya cait o'neall dalam menghadapi berbagai macam hantu jepang. yg plg menakutkan adalah nakekubi, makhluk yg kl siang serupa manusia tp saat malam hari kepalanya bs lepas kyk leak begitu. si nakekubi ini ngejar2 miku krn dia keturunan wanita klg takeshita yg terakhir, tp kenapa nya jg msh blm jelas.
ini mmg aslinya ceritanya tiba2 selesai atau edisi bhs indonesianya ini yg ngaco ya? lg seru2nya ngadepin si ubiubi itu tiba2 ganti bab, trus sdh pagi, trus gak tau apa yg sdh tjd sama si hantu ubirebus itu #eh.
*mendingan baca manga d... kekkaishi atau raise of the yokai clan atau yg kyk2 gitu....*
oiya, typo2 bertebaran di mana2, mengerikan.....
ini mmg aslinya ceritanya tiba2 selesai atau edisi bhs indonesianya ini yg ngaco ya? lg seru2nya ngadepin si ubiubi itu tiba2 ganti bab, trus sdh pagi, trus gak tau apa yg sdh tjd sama si hantu ubirebus itu #eh.
*mendingan baca manga d... kekkaishi atau raise of the yokai clan atau yg kyk2 gitu....*
oiya, typo2 bertebaran di mana2, mengerikan.....
October 12, 2010
I read in another review that this was a gentle horror story for young readers. Okay, so maybe it wasn't splatter central, but it was genuinely creepy! Head-detaching, child-eating Japanese demons? Faceless men who show up on your doorstep? I loved this book, and I can definitely see why it won the Francis Lincoln Diverse Voices Award. Wonderfully written with likeable, fleshed out characters. And very, very cool bad guys.
March 12, 2011
While interesting and unusual for its use of yokai, the spirits of Japanese folklore, the story felt frustratingly incomplete in its semi-resolution. Yes, the specific "big bad" is defeated, but not really by the central character. In fact, she spends most of the story as a spectator, being rewarded or punished for things outside her control. It appears to be a setup for sequels, but I hope the author keeps the story under better control.
July 25, 2022
found this book hidden under the sofa at the bookshop I work in, picked it up to shelve ot with the other ya but then i started reading it and couldn't stop lol
loved the Japanese mythology elements and the fast moving story - for someone who was in a reading slump at the time this book was a great kick-start :D
also the font cover is literally the coolest thing ive ever seen yes i showed it to all my friends lmao
loved the Japanese mythology elements and the fast moving story - for someone who was in a reading slump at the time this book was a great kick-start :D
also the font cover is literally the coolest thing ive ever seen yes i showed it to all my friends lmao
January 6, 2011
Miku's family has moved from Japan to England, and apparently so have a host of Japanese demons, including the worst substitute teacher ever who turns out to be a nukekubi: a demon whose head flies around at night looking for children to eat! This book is great for children interested in Japan or Japanese folklore, and has some genuinely scary parts.
March 1, 2011
This was a great read! Short and punchy and full of fantastic, surreal demonology. There's SO much research in this book, but it doesn't weigh down the text at all. I also liked the still tangible remnants of our protagonists family history and past in Japan, even though the stories set in Britain. Very recommended!
April 11, 2026
I think it was fun my library had this so I could read it and love it. "Then we swallowed the pizza so fast I hardly chewed, and I burnt the roof of my mouth on the cheese." Miku p.71 in this book. We all do something like this from time to time.
April 13, 2011
This is a good, quick read. Not too scary for younger middle-graders and should entice reluctant readers as well. :)
April 12, 2011
It was a quick and enjoyable read. It was very entertaining and a little scary. I would recommend it to 5th graders and up. The manga illustrations were great and fit well with the story.
August 2, 2012
Kunnon menoa ja meininkiä. Ei liian vaikea juttuja mutta silti uutta tietoa ja jotain näille japaninälkäisille pienille.
Kiitos Markku kun koeluit :)
Kiitos Markku kun koeluit :)
August 26, 2013
Charming in its use of Japanese folklore, but I never got the feeling that the characters were in any danger.
December 1, 2013
Read like a good episode of an anime series. Great for upper grades (mid grades) and up.
May 6, 2014
Quick read. It has the right length, and it's definitely scary enough for middle-graders. Overall, a very interesting take on Japanese ghost folklore. Engaging!
July 15, 2016
This book I read 5 years ago and I decided to reread it wasn't as amazing as the first time but loved it nevertheless
November 17, 2016
was intresting
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2017
I thought the book was scary at first but when you read it more it becomes less frightning.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews