“The Paper Heart” - book one of the Usagi Series

In this first book of the three-part series, a world of unimaginable mystery is revealed to 12-year-old Ricky Sugimoto when he’s introduced to his estranged grandfather (the abbot) and his small mountain temple in Japan. But Ricky is practical. He doesn’t have time for ancient scrolls and his grandfather’s fantastical stories about Usagi who lived 500 years prior. Ricky loves baseball; tryouts for the new school team are just around the corner. He should be spending the summer back home in New York practicing with his friends. But now his grandfather has him questioning everything as a new life emerges.

Excerpt from the PAPER HEART:

“Ricky was of that tender age where the mystery of the world was slowly fading. He had already discovered the truth behind Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and his uncle’s magic thumb that could be pulled from his hand at will. These sobering realities had come to him before his twelfth birthday; Ricky was becoming more disenchanted with presumed magical beings of any sort. But the way his grandfather talked—with such passion and conviction—he could not help but wonder if there was still some magic left in the world. Perhaps, just maybe, even temple cats could have once been mischievous monks.”