Kamizen: Fortress of Lost Memories

Author: Dobson, William Yamaguchi

Interest age: from c 8 years

Published on 9 April 2026 by Scholastic in the United Kingdom.

“A clever blend of emotion and excitement, and

of Northern England and Japanese folklore... Brilliant.”

- Booktrust

“The perfect escape to a magical world!”

- Lancashire Evening Post

“I could not put it down.” - Reading

2 Smile kids' review

Enter a secret wonderland in the sky where Japanese legends

come to life.

Twelve-year-old Jonty desperately wants an adventure but he knows

it's unlikely when he's stuck at home for the entire summer.

But then he meets a talking bonobo in the forest at the back of his

house who invites him to enter a magical world behind a Japanese

Memory gate. There, he will get to collect wild memories from

the time his gramps was a famous primatologist ... and soon, his

adventure begins.

Behind the gate lies a world far more enchanting than back home.

In a world filled with mischievous Japanese beings called yokai,

Jonty must battle to collect the memories in a series of

hair-raising trials. But there is an evil sky pirate crew on board

a ship who are hellbent on destroying the memories for good ...

and they have bows and arrows.

Can Jonty battle the pirate crew before time runs out and

the wadokei watch-clock strikes?

Perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli and My Neighbour Totoro, this is

a middle-grade fantasy adventure with a future classic feel, that

focuses on Japanese folklore. An outstanding and original

new voice in children's fiction.

A beautiful cover and inside illustrations by acclaimed Japanese

artist Sawa.