xxxHolic by Clamp
Random House Publishing Company, New York, 2004
ISBN: 0-345-47058-3

Plot Summary:
One day the foul-tempered Watanuki Kimihiro is walking down the street when he is dragged by invisible forces into the shop of the witch Yuko. She says she can stop him from seeing the spirits that he sees all the time, but he must repay her by working for him. He doesn't exactly agree to this, but nevertheless finds himself working for her. Over the course of his employment, Yuko tries to help a young woman get over her bad habit of lying, but refuses to intervene when the woman won't admit she has a problem. She also solves a woman's internet addiction by slicing her computer in half with a baseball bat. At the end of the novel, two children come to Yuko asking for her help...

Critical Evaluation:
xxxHolic was a quick read, but not very entertaining. There is not much back story for any of the characters, even though this was the first of the series. I felt like I knew very little about anyone, and didn't care for what I did know. Watanuki's facial expressions are way out of whack with what he is actually saying. Most of the novel he looks violently angry, when really what he's saying, or the situation he is in would only make most of us minorly annoyed. Perhaps something was lost in translation from the Japanese? Yuko, the seductive witch, is mildly entertaining and wise, but not enough to keep me wanting to read the rest of the series.

Reader’s Annotation:
Yuko is ready to grant your wish, but remember, she does expect fair payment in return.

Information about the Authors:
Clamp is a group of four female artists: Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Satsuki Igarashi, and Tsubaki Nekoi. They started out writing fan comics and their talent won them the attention of major manga publishers. Clamp publishes three series in Japan: Tsubasa, xxxHolic, and Gohou Drug.

Genre: graphic novel/manga

Curriculum Ties: none

Booktalking Ideas:
I would talk about Watanuki and his ability to see spirits, and why he ends up in Yuko's shop, wishing that he couldn't. Then I would talk about Yuko and her unconventional ways of going about ridding people of their bad habits.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
This novel is rated T for ages 13 and up, and I would agree with that rating.

Challenge Issues:
Though the story line is tame, a few of the pictures are somewhat risque. Yuko the witch is often lifting her leg really high and it is obvious she is not wearing underwear. I would explain the library's selection policy and give the challenger a complaint form to fill out.

Why I chose this book:
This book was featured in the Genre Presentation on manga and I thought the art work looked incredible.