Ninja Girl Adventures

In the beginning of Ninja Girl Adventures, by Melissa Wilson and Phil Elmore,  the three Mackenzie sisters have just lost their father.  Their mother died years ago, so the  girls find themselves in care of their uncles. Uncle Mort, their father’s dear friend, isn’t actually related to the girls, but cares for them as well as he can. (I’m an auntie with no kids myself, so I loved Mort’s attempts to parent the girls he loves.) Although Uncle Jiro, their mother’s brother, is biologically related to them, it’s immediately clear that he’s not at all interested in his nieces, just in controlling their father’s company.

The girls knew their father was rich and successful, but Moira discovers much more about KogaTech Consolidated when the will leaves the entire company to her.  Moira, the middle sister, is closest to their dad in a lot of ways. It takes a little while for the three girls to develop as individual characters, but when they do, there are some sweet sibling moments. There are also realistic struggles with school bullying and family sorrows. 

Moira discovers that she’s actually from a long line of ninjas on her mother’s side, and her unknown grandmother is also a powerful ninja. Their family has — without revealing too much — supernatural shapeshifting powers, too. There’s a mix of Japanese tradition and supernatural in this story, but the focus is most on Moira’s growth and discovery, making it a solid adventure for younger readers.  This is a story about Moira coming into her own, learning to be braver and stronger, and then sharing her abilities with her sisters.

This is a fun, dramatic YA story suitable for an advanced middle-grades reader too, The vocab is a bit advanced for MG but there’s nothing inappropriate or too mature for a middle-school reader. There’s a lot of action and warmth in this modern-day ninja adventure. It’s an exciting adventure story, but the story is propelled by sisterly love and affection.