Kubo and the Two Strings by Sadie Chesterfield & Marc Haimes & Chris Butler & Shannon Tindle & Marc Haimes

Author:Sadie Chesterfield & Marc Haimes & Chris Butler & Shannon Tindle & Marc Haimes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2016-07-18T16:00:00+00:00

Kubo played his shamisen as he walked along the rocky beach. The music almost drowned out the sounds of Monkey and Beetle arguing.…

Almost.

“Look, I appreciate your help, but when it comes to the boy, I really know what’s best,” Monkey said. “And what’s best is to not be fielding ideas from a talking cockroach.”

“This coming from the talking monkey,” Beetle said.

At first, they argued about how to cross Long Lake, which spread out in front of them. Then they debated how powerful Kubo’s magic was, and now Beetle told Monkey she was too protective. They were so silly when they fought, making jokes back and forth, that they started reminding Kubo of the fishmonger and his wife from his village.

Kubo kept playing his shamisen, trying to ignore them. After they’d fallen from the giant bone monster, Beetle used his wings to fly them to safety. They flew through the maze of tunnels, then out onto the rocky shores of Long Lake, which Monkey knew from folklore and cave paintings. Monkey had used some mud to help repair Beetle’s wings, but after his crash landing on the beach, they were too broken to fly very well.

The beach was covered with fallen leaves of yellow, orange, and gold. Giant pieces of driftwood had washed ashore long ago. As Monkey and Beetle argued about crossing the lake, Kubo played on. One by one the leaves and driftwood lifted from the shore, coming together to form a ship that was shaped like an origami boat. Monkey turned around, shocked by how impressive it was. With that, Kubo plucked a final note, creating a sail made up of grass and leaves.

They climbed aboard and set off. Beetle and Kubo used arrows to fish, and soon they were all eating sashimi. Little Hanzo speared a piece of fish and flipped it into Beetle’s mouth.

“Must you play with your food?” Monkey asked.

“Yes.” Beetle smiled. He turned to Kubo, expecting a laugh, but Kubo had a strange look on his face. “What’s the matter, Kubo? You act like you’ve never had a meal sitting between a monkey and a beetle before.”

“I’ve never had a meal sitting between anyone before,” Kubo said. He couldn’t help but feel a little happy here, with Beetle and Monkey, two creatures who cared enough to fight over him. He had loved being with his mother in the cave, but it had been lonely sometimes.

“Kubo, question,” Beetle said. “Before you started your heroic quest, what were you like?”

“Well, I looked after my mother mostly,” Kubo said after a long pause. “Sometimes I would tell her stories about little things, like catching fireflies in the mulberry fields. And when I told those stories, I could tell her eyes were mostly clear. I could tell she saw me, really saw me. And I saw her, too—her spirit, trying to find its way out.”

Beetle glanced sideways at Monkey and smiled. “You know what, Kubo? Before you went on this great adventure, you were still very much a hero.

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