Review:
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 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.
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