Kira-Kira - by Cynthia Kadohata Hardcover

About the Book

Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem glittering and shining. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering in the future.

Book Synopsis

A Japanese-American family struggles to build a new life in the Deep South of Georgia in this luminous novel, winner of the Newbery Medal.

kira-kira (kee' ra kee' ra): glittering; shining
Glittering. That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is kira-kira because its color is deep but see-through at the same time. The sea is kira-kira for the same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop them on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering -- kira-kira -- in the future.
Luminous in its persistence of love and hope, Kira-Kira is Cynthia Kadohata's stunning debut in middle-grade fiction.

Review Quotes

"An unforgettable story."

-- "San Diego Union-Tribune"

"This novel shine[s]."

-- "Publishers Weekly, " starred review

"Will speak to readers who have lost someone they love or fear that they could."

-- "Booklist, " starred review

About the Author

Cynthia Kadohata won the National Book Award for The Thing About Luck and the Newbery Medal for Kira-Kira. She's also the author of many more critically acclaimed novels, including Checked, A Million Shades of Gray, A Place to Belong, Weedflower, Cracker!, and Outside Beauty. In addition to rescuing Dobermans, she's also managed her son's hockey team. She lives in California. Visit her online at CynthiaKadohata.com.