Kira-Kira

1. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

KIRA-KIRA

Written by Cynthia Kadohata

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: 2004

ISBN: 0-689-85639-3

2. PLOT SUMMARY

"My sister, Lynn, taught me my first word: kira-kira." So begins the story of two sisters and the love they share for one another. Told through younger sister Katie's point of view, the reader sees not only the love between the two girls, but the struggles of the family as well. Set in the 5o's and 60's, the struggles of this Japanese-American family are brought to life through Katie's voice. As the family grows, they must learn to deal with all things good as well as difficult. Especially when they find out Lynn has a terminal illness. As the family struggles to say good bye to Lynn, Katie works hard to remember Lynn's glittery (kira-kira) outlook on life and remind her grieving family of Lynn's powerful presence will always be a part of their lives.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

As I read KIRA-KIRA, I often found myself caught up in this family's struggles. Not only for the heartbreaking loss of their older daughter, but for the injustices this Japanese-American family faced in segregated Georgia. Kadohata created believable characters whom I could sympathize with and grieve with as they coped with the tragedy of Lynn's young death. As Katie began to understand that Lynn was not going to recover from her illness, my heart ached for her. "Then I looked up 'malignant' in the dictionary. It said: Threatening to life; virulent: a mailignant disease. Tending to metastasize, cancerous. Used of a tumor. And that was how I found out Lynn might die." As I read that line, I could picture Katie looking up from the dictionary, a devastated look on her face as she compreheded the defintion. What imagery!

While the story was sad, the plot moved smoothly. Even though I knew the story was most likely not going to end happily, I couldn't put the book down. I had to see how the characters would react to Lynn's death, and struggle to get pass their loss. The author did a great job at establishing the setting. The reader got the feeling that the family was now living in a town where the Japanese-Americans were not welcomed to the neighborhood with open arms. While the author never used the word discrimination, I could feel the entire family's struggle to fit in. Especially Katie, where she had to face harsh words from other children at school. "They think we're like doormats--or ants or something!" Lynn did her best to make Katie understand that not everyone would want to speak to her on her first day of school because of her color.

While the story had many "sad" parts, the mood of the story varied throughout. At times, I was moved to tears, and other times found myself laughing out loud at Katie's antics, (and especially when she talked about how she was developing the southern "drawl.") In the end, as Katie and her family came to accept the fact Lynn was gone, and move on with their lives, I felt happiness for the family and their ability to overcome such a devastating blow to their lives and rejoice in all "kira-kira" Lynn brought to their lives.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL--"All of the characters are believable and well developed, especially Katie, who acts as a careful observer of everything that happens in her family, even though there is a lot she doesn't understand."

From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY--Lynn's ability to teach Katie to appreciate the "kira-kira," or glittering, in everyday life makes this novel shine.

5. CONNECTIONS

*Have students read about the discrimination Japanese-Americans faced in our country during the 50's and 60's. Compare the facts to Kadohata's portrayal of the Takeshima family. Were her descriptions of the struggles the family faced due to their nationality believable?