TITLE: Kira KiraAUTHOR: Cynthia Kadohata
STARTED: June 1, 2009
FINISHED: June 1, 2009
PAGES: 244
GENRE: Juvenile
FIRST SENTENCE: My sister, Lynn, taught me my first word: kira-kira.
SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] 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 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.
THOUGHTS: This book reminded me a lot of those written by Lurlene McDaniel, an author I devoured as a kid. For a title that is about glittering, this book is rather dark and somber. Kira Kira is fraught with drama and emotion, but it is not depressive. If anything, I came away from the story more contemplative than sad.
I'm going to guess that Kadohata has a big sister, or at least a sibling. If she doesn't, I'd be surprised. She so perfectly captures the relationship between close siblings in this book that it made me call my younger brother. For all the sadness in this book, it is the emotion of love of family that come across the most. The parents sacrifice so much of their lives for their children, the siblings fight and resent one another, and, like the family they are, they still come together as a loving group.
Kadohata also captures the essence of her setting - I think that is one reason why the book works as well as it does. Kira Kira, even with its well written and well-rounded characters, would fall flat if the author had failed to recreate the dinginess, despair, and society of the time and place. The parents of the lead characters would not appear as tired if the description of the chicken processing plant were anything but oppressive. The joy of a cool, outdoor picnic would not be as light without the previous description of heat and dust. Kadohata describes every setting with such vivid detail I could paint it.
I think the best part of this book is how, even with all the drama, there are still moments of light. Kira Kira was the perfect title. Every now and then, there is a moment in the book that just shines with joy and happiness. I think Kadohata was trying to tell her readers that, even when things hit bottom, life always has moments that are glittering.
RATING: 7/10 [Very Good]
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