Kira-Kira

Cynthia Kadohata

Jun 2008 · Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

This book is easy to read and is a beautiful story. I highly recommend this book to anyone. Kadohata's words create an image in your mind and you can feel the character's emotions. Good Job!

This book portrays a Japanese -American family in the 1950's through the eyes of the youngest daughter Katie. This book describes their life, their links to their Japanese culture, and the realization of the struggles Katie and her two sisters' parents face to give them a normal life in America.

I have it on paperback and I bought it at a local thrift store. It has a good ending. It's about a girl named Katie with her sister Lynn facing many hardships facing them and going through them with her mom and dad and a new main character later in the story. When they suddenly had to move to Georgia to find work. You have to read the story to learn more!

About the author

Cynthia Kadohata is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book Kira-Kira, the National Book Award winner The Thing About Luck, the Jane Addams Peace Award and PEN America Award winner Weedflower, Cracker!, Outside Beauty, A Million Shades of Gray, Half a World Away, Checked, A Place to Belong, Saucy, and several critically acclaimed adult novels, including The Floating World. She lives with her dogs and hockey-playing son in California. Visit her online at CynthiaKadohata.com.