AIRI SANO, PRANKMASTER GENERAL

Airi Sano goes global with her pranks when her family vacations in Japan in this third series entry.

Sixth grade is ending, and Airi and her family are going to Japan over the summer. Airi is excited to visit her mother’s relatives and tiny hometown and see the sights in Tokyo and Osaka, but she’s a little bummed that she has to spend the summer with her boring brother and not her new friends. Even though the prank squad had a great school year together, she’s worried they’ll have so much fun that they’ll forget her. Airi pressures herself: She’s determined to make this the most fantastic trip ever, so she’ll have stories to entertain her friends with. Airi plans and executes pranks, and even enlists her brother as her deputy. But when some of her jokes and antics backfire, causing real problems and hurting people’s feelings, Airi reflects on her behavior and how she affects others. Following the same format as before, this volume includes Airi’s situation reports, text threads, emails, and funny, informational footnotes, all of which support this comical and captivating narrative. The story thoughtfully explores themes of friendship and family, including sibling and intergenerational relationships. Entertaining black-and-white illustrations add cultural context to the family’s home in Hawai‘i and destinations in Japan.

A fun balance of mischief, personal growth, and Japanese culture.