Read this when
Fruits Basket (manga)
Fruits Basket: a whole family cursed by generational trauma, and one girl who won't stop being kind about it. 🍙
Who it's for
Tohru, recently orphaned after her mother's death, ends up living with members of the Sohma family, who secretly turn into zodiac animals when hugged by the opposite sex and live under the emotional control of their head, Akito.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Natsuki Takaya's manga ran in Hana to Yume from July 1998 to November 2006. After her mother dies in a car accident, high-school student Tohru Honda ends up living in a tent in the woods until the Sohma family takes her in. She learns that members of the family are possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac and turn into them when weak, stressed or hugged by someone of the opposite sex.
Where to find it
In print; widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) (Yen Press Collector's Edition). The 2019 anime is on streaming. Still in copyright.
Before you start
Heads up: A parent's suicide and family abuse.
Age: Ages 12+
Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Children”
