The Peony Lantern (Frances Watts, HarperCollins)

Kasumi is the observant, intelligent youngest daughter of a small-town innkeeper. But this is Japan during the strict Edo period of the mid-19th century, when girls are expected to be obedient and docile, not adventurous and conspicuous. When Kasumi accidentally insults a samurai, she assumes she will be severely punished. Instead she is invited to the capital to become lady-in-waiting, where she discovers a city of secrets. Kasumi’s narration is formal and occasionally stilted, but the story is rich in period detail—from the intricacies of the Japanese class system and complex samurai traditions to superstitions and descriptions of wild forests and cherry trees. With its near-total isolation, this period of Japanese history is an intriguing setting, and as the outside world encroaches, the narrative tension intensifies. Frances Watts breathes new life into the familiar story of an ordinary girl destined for greater things. The gentle romance between Kasumi and a young samurai is non-threatening enough that even young teens won’t be put off. Fans of Tamora Pierce’s ‘Song of the Lioness’ and Carole Wilkinson’s ‘Dragonkeeper’ series will find the spunky protagonist and go-girl message empowering. This is an entertaining adventure story for readers aged 12 and up.

Veronica Sullivan is the, online editor of Kill Your Darlings and prize manager for The Stella Prize