“Kiki’s Delivery Service” by Eiko Kadono is a cute read that takes flight from the first page.
In this story, Kiki is a young witch who must leave her home as part of a tradition every young witch must undergo at 13 to find their own place. Kiki is joined by her black cat companion, Jiji, as she works hard to forge her own path in a town of her own.
The flow of the book is unique because the main plot point is Kiki finding her own place. Additionally, every chapter feels like its own mini story because they focus on Kiki and Jiji interacting with different people from their new town. The book feels similar to the book “Assassin’s Blade” by Sara J. Maas because Maas’ book is a bunch of interconnected stories inside one book.
However, it doesn’t pull anything away from the charm of this book. It’s a fun coming-of-age story that is full of magic and whimsy. It is also relatable for the younger audience, nine and up, it is written for.
For example, when Kiki goes to leave, she is so full of excitement, but there is some worry in the back of her mind. A common sentiment among young people is their shared excitement for growing up. Growing up quickly turns intimidating once you’re not a kid anymore and need to find your own footing. This book did a splendid job describing those feelings that many of us have experienced.
“Kiki’s Delivery Service” also has a movie adaptation, but the book and movie feel entirely different. In the movie, there are big climactic moments where Kiki loses her magic, but moments like that don’t exist in the book. In fact, Kiki never loses her magic in the book. This makes reading the book a much cozier experience compared to the movie.
That isn’t the only difference. In the movie, the character Tombo is made to clearly be Kiki’s love interest. Their connection is made because Tombo is obsessed with the idea of flying, and Kiki is a flying witch. The connection is cute, but in the book the relationship is less at the forefront.
In the book, it is clear that Tombo likes Kiki through his actions such as gifting her a bag, but the relationship between the two is more loosely implied in the events of the book. The movie, meanwhile, has more obvious implications.
Additionally, throughout the book, there were many beautiful illustrations. There were some that were more detailed than others, but every single one was such a delight to see. Some of the illustrations also helped shed light on what was happening in the book.
For example, there was a scene where Kiki was pulling a bunch of instruments that were tied together to her broom through the air. It was hard to visualize, but with the illustration it was clear to see what the author was describing.
Overall, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” is a fun read perfect for the Halloween season.
