The Timelight Stone

The Pirate & The Princess #1

by Mio Chizuru

A female pirate, a lost princess and a mysterious gemstone!

Welcome to the Eurastia, a legendary pirate ship whose captain holds a dark secret. Her name is Yuri, and once, she lived in the future. Unable to return until she rights a terrible wrong, she must redeem herself and fulfill her destiny.

Ten year old Princess Noelle is not from another time, but another place -- a land invaded by evil conquerors who killed her parents and kidnapped her younger brother. The Princess herself is taken hostage until Yuri saves her. It is then that they both learn that Noelle holds the key to Captain Yuri's destiny.

Both Yuri and Noelle want nothing more than to return home. But neither can, until Noelle finds her brother, and Yuri vanquishes the sinister forces that she herself accidentally set in motion.

Genres: Fantasy, Manga, Middle Grade, Childrens, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Fiction

110 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2007

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Twilight Stone reads very much like an anime... in fact, the narrative would fill perhaps about a half-hour's worth of an anime episode, and almost all scenes could be preserved exactly as they've been described here. It is odd how well a visual art like anime could be translated into a written style... even some images very typical of anime (a ghostly figures from a memory or a dream receding rapidly into the background, which the character chases to no avail) are transcribed here in such a way that makes you realize how culturally specific our narrative tropes really are.

This book is great for a third grader or advanced second grader who is moving from picture books to independent reading of chapter books. It is great to expose children at such a young age to a different genre than they might be used to (although, to be fair, manga is certainly much more mainstream now than it was when I was in elementary school). The illustrations are also quite well done and appear every three or four pages, giving life to characters that are little more than archetypes, although, I'm sure, pleasing to young imaginations who are discovering the joys of long-form narrative for the first time.

[Sun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this book up for a few cents as a child, and absolutely loved it. I'm rereading it right now for nostalgia's sake. I tried to pre order the second book in this series over a decade ago, but the publisher had dropped books 2 and 3 and it appears they won't be getting a translation. ;-; According to FredTownWard on Amazon, the original language version of this series is a 10 volume Japanese children's adventure series: Shoujo Kaizoku Yuuri, if you happen to be able to read Japanese.

[Cheryl]

loved it

[Diva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it just as much as I did over a decade ago.
Also wow, I forgot just how short chapter books are.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun story: I owned this book when I was younger and at some point I got rid of it (we moved at least once but maybe twice in the time I would have owned this book, so at some point it hadn't made the pre-move decluttering cut) but the cover art of this book has always remained in my mind. A couple months ago, the memory of this book cover became so strong that I wanted to find this book again, but I didn't know where to start. After some googling, I finally found this book again and bought a used copy off Better World Books.

This book is so much better than I thought it was going to be, and definitely more entertaining than I remember. Despite the plot being fairly straightforward and easy to follow, there's quite a lot at play behind the scenes. But these converging plot points never get too complicated, and the story is easy to read. All of the characters are really great too. Another huge plus of this book is the art style, it's gorgeous and fans of manga will definitely enjoy them.

[Rick Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yuri is a pirate (using the term a bit loosely here, as her pirating is heavy on the helping people in need and light on the more traditional looting and pillaging) who appears to be a teenaged girl, but who has actually lived for centuries.

Noelle is a princess from a conquered kingdom, on the run from the agents of the king who brought about her family’s downfall.

When Yuri rescues Noelle, Yuri intends to find a safe haven for the refugee girl. But Noelle dreams of finding a home as part of Yuri’s crew.

This was a fun, mostly cozy, fairytale with a few science fiction elements and a manga-influenced flavor.

It’s the first book in a series, and is more about establishing the world and characters and setting up future stories that about truly making major plot advancements, but it is an enjoyable first chapter.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this with my 9 year old son, it wasn't his favorite, but I felt like it was an interesting read. It really felt at points like it couldn't pick a path. It had a little bit of everything thrown in, and yet it was still a pretty good story, if simply told(which could be from the translation).

[Shannon Hong · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite stories in youth. I've never read book 2 & 3, and it's been something that has burned of curiousity in my mind. I may acquire the other two books to satisfy myself.

[LesbianBarista · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good as an adult as it was when I was a kid. Adore this book :)

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and interesting little book I stumbled across in a used bookstore. Sad the last of the series looks like it won’t get translated.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute quick read.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the best book so far that I have read. It was amazing. Some of the characters are Yuri and Nole.The life of Noles past is bad because her mother is killed and she doesnt know if her brother is killed to. she is going to try and find him























































to see if he is alive.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book. I got it over a year ago when my mom bought it for me, and didn't read it until this week. It is really exciting, and has very good pictures. (It's a book that was translated from a Japanese original version, so the pictures are mostly Manga-like pictures) It's pretty short though, so I got through it quickly. I cannot wait to read the next book!

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a pretty cute read for younger people who are just getting into Japanese writing. The characters aren't anything new-- a young girl trying to prove herself, the stoic, mysterious authority figure, foolish king, evil dude cloaked in black. The concept of the story, though, is a fun mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Easy to get through, nothing too graphic. I liked it. :D

[Shayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book on the bargain rack at the book fair and its a pretty interesting little book. It has some fun anime pictures to go along with the novel so its pretty good for elementary age readers. The story itself is a good blend of fantasy and science fiction that both girls and boys would enjoy.

[Hana Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an amazing book that I would recommend to anyone over 9. It kept me entertained. I read it when I was young and I occasionally look back through it to remember one of my favorite books of the time. I really did enjoy the book very much. :)

[Lemon Cookies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes me back when I was in elementary. The story of a pirate and the timelight stone... it really just fascinates me.

Magnificent story and recommended for young children who loves the theme of Pirates!!! <3

[Samm · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been quite some time since I read something that could be classified as a picture book. This was part of my "read all Sara's books" challenge. It was pretty cute and read at a fast pace. Much plot.

[Dori Bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started this book in grade school, I NEVER stopped reading it! I think I read and re-read that book at LEAST 10 times within my entire 4th grade year. So easy to read, very quick, but very enjoyable! Loved every minute of it!

[Danielle's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books when I was in elementary. I remember I used to reread it over and over! I loved all of the characters and I loved the art! The story itself was also very interesting! I wish I knew where my copy went because I would not mind reading this yet again someday!

[Evee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a Princess and she is captured and her family is dead.
Yuio heres her call for help and....

[D.j. · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked this book very much but it is probably because it is a fantasy book. this book was very exciting. If you read it you'd want to read the other parts or the series

[Cinnamon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of like reading a cartoon.

[Benita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yuri and Noelle seem to have a lot in common!

[Katrina Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute book I liked the story and the story I read this in fourth grade and I still like to read it. It is a nice easy read and I like it alot

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a weird book, but an okay one. Not sure if I'd bother reading a sequel, but not a waste of time.

[Jessica]

I love it!

[Sapphire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. I just read and finished it this morning and I am truly amazed. it is a wonderful tale and I think all you other magic and action lovers will enjoy this book.

[Pooh]

It rocks!

[Cheyenne Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book when I was in Elementary school. Not exactly sure how I came to possess this book, but I read it constantly as a child. I do believe I found it at a Book Fair my elementary school was doing. Great book and reminded me so much of anime and manga based on the art and storyline. Can become a great anime someday.