Kira-Kira

by Cynthia Kadohata

Hardcover, 2006

Status

Available

Publication

Atheneum Books for Young Readers (2006), Edition: Reprint, 272 pages

Library's review

"Katie loves and admires her older sister, Lynn, only to lose her in this story that reads like a memoir about a Japanese-American family in the 1950s.

Built around the loss of Lynn to lymphoma, it belongs to Katie and stays true to her perspective. The supporting cast of extended family and friends
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also fits within Katie’s vision of life. Humor keeps the depth of sadness at bay as Katie reports events: “If a robber came to our apartment, I would hit him over the head with a lamp. So I didn’t need a bank, personally.” Starting out in Iowa, the family moves to Georgia; both parents work long hours in the poultry industry to buy and then pay for a house of their own. Kadohata weaves details of life for a Japanese-American family into the narrative along with Lynn and Katie’s gradual acquirement of understanding of the dominant culture around them. The vivid writing and the portrayal of a most loving and honorable father lift this above the norm.

“Kira-kira” is Japanese for glittering, and Kadohata’s Katie sparkles. (Fiction. 10-14)" From Kirkus Reviews, www.kirkusreviews.com
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2004

ISBN

0689856407 / 9780689856402

Barcode

40
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