Kira Kira

Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata is a story written in first person about a little girl and her life growing up. The story revolves around her sister, her family, and the journey and tragedies their family had to face. Much of the story is about the two girls' relationship/friendship, the great things they talked about, and experienced together. The story starts out when the girl is only four and her sister is nine in the 1950s. The girl who is telling the story talks a lot about her sister and the great love she had for each other. They were always looking out for each other because they didn't have anyone else to do so. Throughout the story the younger sister references her sisters diary so you are able to see a few situations in the sisters point of view. This is a story about a girl becoming a "big girl" and the hardships and joys that go with that.
    I loved this book. There are so many great cultural experiences in the book because it is about a Japanese family. It also it a great story about growing up and facing life whether it is good or bad. There are many great morals in this story that children will benefit from reading about. The experences/stories the little girl shares about her life is one that students will all be able to relate to. The tradegies the family and young girl has to face is great for children to read and learn from.
    This book would be a great book to have in the classroom for many reasons. There is a lot of great historical value in this book. Students will be able to benefit from reading about how life was like in Georgia for Japanese Americans during the 1950s. The culture in the book is also great for students to read about. There are many references to Japanese words, their meanings, what the Japanese people ate, the traditions they have, and the struggles they faced living in America at this time. I would recommend this book for fourth grade and up. There is language in a few spots so children/parents need to be aware of that but this book is great for young adults. I think this book would appeal more to girls than boys but some boys might enjoy it too. I would probably not use this book as a read aloud but I would definitely recommend it to students and I may use it as a book club book because it would prompt great discussions. There are a few words that may be hard for struggling readers to understand and they may have to look a few up to understand them but the rest of the book is easy to navigate through and is developmentally appropriate for mature fourth graders and older.