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Bounce Back 4: Double Trouble: Lost in Japan: A Kid-Friendly Manga Adventure
dream trip to Japan turns into a frantic search across Kyoto when one twin suddenly goes missing, in this kid-friendly manga by creator Misako Rocks!
The friends from Bounce Back are going to Japan!
Twin sisters Angie and Kiara are spending part of their summer break in Japan, visiting their friend Lilico’s family and meeting new friends. Despite Kiara’s worries about the long flight, and not knowing how to speak Japanese, the girls are excited to take such a big trip with Lilico and other friends from their basketball team, and experience Japanese culture―the sights, the food, the fashion, and everything kawaii!
Until . . . one of the twins gets lost in the middle of Kyoto.
Now it’s a race across the city to bring everyone back together. Friendships old and new are put to the test, and the girls discover that teamwork happens off the basketball court, too.
Perfect for readers who love Shannon Hale, Megan Wagner Lloyd, and Victoria Jamieson, and anyone who can’t get enough friendship graphic novels, manga-inspired adventures, and stories full of humor, heart, and Japanese culture.
The friends from Bounce Back are going to Japan!
Twin sisters Angie and Kiara are spending part of their summer break in Japan, visiting their friend Lilico’s family and meeting new friends. Despite Kiara’s worries about the long flight, and not knowing how to speak Japanese, the girls are excited to take such a big trip with Lilico and other friends from their basketball team, and experience Japanese culture―the sights, the food, the fashion, and everything kawaii!
Until . . . one of the twins gets lost in the middle of Kyoto.
Now it’s a race across the city to bring everyone back together. Friendships old and new are put to the test, and the girls discover that teamwork happens off the basketball court, too.
Perfect for readers who love Shannon Hale, Megan Wagner Lloyd, and Victoria Jamieson, and anyone who can’t get enough friendship graphic novels, manga-inspired adventures, and stories full of humor, heart, and Japanese culture.
240 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 14, 2026
Makes me want to visit Japan.
September 9, 2026
Copy provided by the publisher
After their adventures in Bounce Back, No Such Thing as Perfect, and Sew Totally Nala, we catch up with Lilico and her many friends, and focus on the experiences of twins Angie and Kiara. When Lilico mentions that she is traveling to Japan with her family, Nala mentions that she would love to go to see the Harajuku district, and after some talking to parents, everyone is on board to go! There are nine altogether, including Joy, Emma, Sophie, Noah, and Henry. The group earns some money by teaching kids basketball, and soon they are on a plane to Tokyo. After some sight seeing, they get on a train to Osaka, where they get a chance to attend Lilico's school, and even get to wear the uniform. They get to meet her basketball team, and get a good feel for what school life in Japan would be like. There are even some opportunities for crushes. Travel is high on the agenda, and the group enjoys seeing the temples at Kyoto. There is some drama, with the twins fighting, since Angie and Kiara approach their travel opportunies with a different perspective.
Strengths: Students who, like Lilico's friends, want to pretend they are "living in their favorite anime" will aboslutely adore this virtual field trip to Japan. There are so many great details about what life is like, and since Lilico is either visiting with family or in her own home, there are activities that tourists wouldn't normally get to do. There are plenty of tourist activities, however, and Nala does get her fill of Harajuku fashion, and even impresses the local students! Angie and Kiara's differences provide a bit of dramatic tension, but don't ruin the trip. The addition of bits of romance are welcome as well. My students love this series, so this will be a popular title.
Weaknesses: The kids get to do a fair amount of shopping, but it seemed odd that they didn't stock up more on Japanese snacks, which are particularly cute and tasty. I leave space in my luggage for biscuits whenever I get to travel to England!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Santat's A First Time for Everything or Craft's School Trip.
After their adventures in Bounce Back, No Such Thing as Perfect, and Sew Totally Nala, we catch up with Lilico and her many friends, and focus on the experiences of twins Angie and Kiara. When Lilico mentions that she is traveling to Japan with her family, Nala mentions that she would love to go to see the Harajuku district, and after some talking to parents, everyone is on board to go! There are nine altogether, including Joy, Emma, Sophie, Noah, and Henry. The group earns some money by teaching kids basketball, and soon they are on a plane to Tokyo. After some sight seeing, they get on a train to Osaka, where they get a chance to attend Lilico's school, and even get to wear the uniform. They get to meet her basketball team, and get a good feel for what school life in Japan would be like. There are even some opportunities for crushes. Travel is high on the agenda, and the group enjoys seeing the temples at Kyoto. There is some drama, with the twins fighting, since Angie and Kiara approach their travel opportunies with a different perspective.
Strengths: Students who, like Lilico's friends, want to pretend they are "living in their favorite anime" will aboslutely adore this virtual field trip to Japan. There are so many great details about what life is like, and since Lilico is either visiting with family or in her own home, there are activities that tourists wouldn't normally get to do. There are plenty of tourist activities, however, and Nala does get her fill of Harajuku fashion, and even impresses the local students! Angie and Kiara's differences provide a bit of dramatic tension, but don't ruin the trip. The addition of bits of romance are welcome as well. My students love this series, so this will be a popular title.
Weaknesses: The kids get to do a fair amount of shopping, but it seemed odd that they didn't stock up more on Japanese snacks, which are particularly cute and tasty. I leave space in my luggage for biscuits whenever I get to travel to England!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Santat's A First Time for Everything or Craft's School Trip.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was our first time reading Misako Rocks! and our first book in the Bounce Back series, and my third-grade granddaughter absolutely loved it!
We had so much fun reading this one together. The manga-style illustrations were colorful and adorable, and the Japan setting was probably our favorite part. We especially enjoyed learning new Japanese words along the way and getting little glimpses of Japanese culture throughout the story. It made it fun while also giving us something new to learn together.
The story has a great mix of friendship, sibling dynamics, adventure, and some very relatable emotions for younger readers. Even though we hadn't read the previous books in the series, we were still able to jump in and enjoy the story.
I always love finding books that my granddaughter genuinely gets excited about, and this was definitely one of them. She loved it enough that we'll be looking for the other books in the series now!
A fun, colorful read and an easy 4 stars from us. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Misako Rocks!, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for our honest review.
We had so much fun reading this one together. The manga-style illustrations were colorful and adorable, and the Japan setting was probably our favorite part. We especially enjoyed learning new Japanese words along the way and getting little glimpses of Japanese culture throughout the story. It made it fun while also giving us something new to learn together.
The story has a great mix of friendship, sibling dynamics, adventure, and some very relatable emotions for younger readers. Even though we hadn't read the previous books in the series, we were still able to jump in and enjoy the story.
I always love finding books that my granddaughter genuinely gets excited about, and this was definitely one of them. She loved it enough that we'll be looking for the other books in the series now!
A fun, colorful read and an easy 4 stars from us. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Misako Rocks!, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for our honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"Bounce Back 4: Double Trouble: Lost in Japan" is a super fun read and great addition to Misako Rocks!'s Bounce Back series. Just like the previous books, this is perfect for young Manga readers. The illustrations are absolutely kawaii and the story is fun to follow, while also touching on topics that some kids struggle with in real life. I read this with my tween (this series is a favorite in our house) and we both adored it.
This my tween's review:
"Bounce Back 4: Double Trouble: Lost in Japan" is an amazing book and an awesome addition the series. I really liked the main characters, how important they are to each other and how Kiara gets past her anxiety. Most of the story takes place in mainland Japan and I really liked all of the places and Japanese culture the friends experience. Misako Rocks!'s books are my favorite!💕
Thank you Misako Rocks!, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for a copy of "Bounce Back 4: Double Trouble: Lost in Japan" in exchange for my honest review.
This my tween's review:
"Bounce Back 4: Double Trouble: Lost in Japan" is an amazing book and an awesome addition the series. I really liked the main characters, how important they are to each other and how Kiara gets past her anxiety. Most of the story takes place in mainland Japan and I really liked all of the places and Japanese culture the friends experience. Misako Rocks!'s books are my favorite!💕
Thank you Misako Rocks!, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for a copy of "Bounce Back 4: Double Trouble: Lost in Japan" in exchange for my honest review.
September 15, 2026
Another amazing addition to the series- I instantly bought three copies for our school library, they are SO popular!
I loved learning more about Japan, Japanese culture, and school traditions throughout the story. Friendships and crushes are explored in a really age-appropriate way, and there are tons of anime and kawaii references that kids will love! The trip to Japan gives the story such a fun setting while still keeping friendship, family and teamwork at the heart of it.
I loved learning more about Japan, Japanese culture, and school traditions throughout the story. Friendships and crushes are explored in a really age-appropriate way, and there are tons of anime and kawaii references that kids will love! The trip to Japan gives the story such a fun setting while still keeping friendship, family and teamwork at the heart of it.
September 8, 2026
Thank you @NetGalley and @MacmillanChildren'sPublishingGroup for the ARC. I love Misako Rocks!. I have read all four books in this series and they are full of heart, humor and imagination. Lost in Japan was so full of culture and color. Illustrations are beautiful. My students are going to be so excited to have this book in our Library.
September 2, 2026
So good! i can't get over it!! another great book from a great author!
February 16, 2026
Another winner from Misako Rocks! I loved following the kids to Japan with their expressive faces and fun interactions. Loved the friend drama and sight-seeing.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
Lilico's family heads back to Japan for a vacation, except all of Lilico's New York friends have decided to tag along and make it one epic adventure! Lilico shows her friends her old school and arranges a basketball game against her old team. But everything isn't all smiles and great times. Twins Kiara and Angie are polar opposites when it comes to preparing for the trip and "having fun" in a new country. In walking around a new city, the two become separated and one is even lost without means to communicate with her friends! Despite these anxiety-inducing moments, this is a cute new installment in the Bounce Back series that is very different from the rest of the books. Fans may be sad that there are no spirit companions in this volume, but what we get instead is a lot more time with all of Lilico's friends and a sort of mini-travel guide to Japan. There are even a few basic Japanese words to learn!
This review was made possible with a digital review copy from the publisher through Net Galley.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 4-8
Lilico's family heads back to Japan for a vacation, except all of Lilico's New York friends have decided to tag along and make it one epic adventure! Lilico shows her friends her old school and arranges a basketball game against her old team. But everything isn't all smiles and great times. Twins Kiara and Angie are polar opposites when it comes to preparing for the trip and "having fun" in a new country. In walking around a new city, the two become separated and one is even lost without means to communicate with her friends! Despite these anxiety-inducing moments, this is a cute new installment in the Bounce Back series that is very different from the rest of the books. Fans may be sad that there are no spirit companions in this volume, but what we get instead is a lot more time with all of Lilico's friends and a sort of mini-travel guide to Japan. There are even a few basic Japanese words to learn!
This review was made possible with a digital review copy from the publisher through Net Galley.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 4-8
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews