Living with a preteen is hard, like really hard! I understand high school aged kids – it’s what I have been dealing with the last 20 years. But middle school… that is a mystery. Things that Tay liked one day, the next, is so uncool! I am forever trying to figure out the trends and tastes of the middle school crowd and I seem to fail miserably!
Enter Asya, who, undenounced to her, became Tay’s new best friend on our trip to Texas. (Note: Tay has always adored Asya, but their relationship was taken to a brand new level!) On our second day in Texas, Asya mentioned that there was a manga bookstore in Austin that was near Daiso – and Tay just about fell out of her chair. So, off we went!
If you currently do not have a child aged 12-16 in your life, manga is a form of Japanese comic books that are so so so popular right now. Tay has started a manga collection and it is all she reads, talks about, dreams about, etc. Typical bookstores tend to have a small manga section so an entire store dedicated to Tay’s beloved books was a dream for sure.
Before the bookstore, we all stopped at Daiso, which is pretty much a Japanese 99 cent store. Tay has talked about going to one for ages (they have them all over the country) but I didn’t want to drive into Los Angeles to do so! The store was super cute, with fun little finds and unique tchotchkes.
Next – it was off to the big event – Kinokuniya Bookstore. Apparently this bookstore chain has locations all over, but the store in Austin was my first experience with a Japanese-based, manga-laden store like this. Walking into the store, Tay was overwhelmed with the place but quickly got over her shock and awe and made a beeline for all the fun books, magazines, figurines, etc. that they had.
After much deliberation (and me quickly setting a limit on exactly how many books she could get!) Tay left the store full of happiness and loaded down with some serious reading. We then cut across the parking lot to the last of our new experiences – Boba at 85 Degree Bakery, which was perfect on a scorching Texas summer day.
Asya- you won Tay’s heart! ❤️
right turn ahead 