The Emperor of Any Place by Tim Wynne-Jones
Reviewed by: EPL
Young Adult
Title: The Emperor of Any Place
By: Tim Wynne-Jones
Published: 2015
Call #: YA Fiction Wynne, T.
Evan’s father died with a yellow bound book in his hand. The yellow book contains the journal of a Japanese soldier, who was stranded on a small island in the Pacific during WWII. As Evan cracks the journal open he realizes that it was recovered by his estranged grandfather, a U.S. Marine and that the stranded Japanese soldier never made it off the island. Now this grandfather (Griff), who Evan’s never met, is coming to help put Evan’s father’s estate in order.
The arrival of his grandfather and the information contained in the yellow book send Evan down the rabbit’s hole. If his father hated Griff so much, why was he reading this journal? The night before he died Evan’s father said that Griff may have been a murderer. What did he mean? Did his father read something in the journal? Evan has to get to the truth and is seems like Griff is actively hiding something from him. The Emperor of Any Place blends Evan story and the story of the Japanese soldier seamlessly. The tension between Evan and his grandfather, Griff keeps the reader engaged the whole story. This is a great blend of historical fiction and realistic fiction.
Tags: historical fiction, high school, audiobook, WWII, middle school