White Ravens’99/Japan/80079
Akahane, Junko (text) 
 Sekiguchi, Shun (illus.)
 Otonari wa majo 
 (My neighbors are witches)
 Tokyo: Bunken shuppan, 1998. 160pp
 (Bunken jubeniru)
 ISBN 4-580-81201-8
 School - Bullying - Trust - Friendship - Individuality - Prejudice
 In the neighborhood of the schoolgirl Akari, there lives a single mother and her daughter Rui. Because of
 their unusual appearance and style of life others are reluctant to get to know them. To set themselves off
 from their petty bourgeouis neighbors, they like to call themselves »witches.« When Rui joins the same
 school class as Akari, she finds it is dominated by a bully. For fear of being excluded or the next victim,
 the pupils are cowardly or pretend to be blind; no one trusts the others. 
 Rui and Akari bravely act to resolve the problem and become true friends. The author attacks this serious
 problem with a funny and encouraging tale. (11+)

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