Kira-Kira: Seeing the Positive in Everything

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. Athenium Books for Young Readers; New York, 2004

            Kira-Kira tells the story of a Japanese-American family’s move from the farms of Iowa to the unfamiliar swamps of Southern Georgia after the failure of their Asian grocery store in Iowa. The protagonist is a young girl named Katie who ages as the story progresses. She is the best friend of her older sister, Lynn, and much of the plot focuses on their interactions as they grow and change through maturation. The sisters face unfamiliarity and adversity in Georgia; they are looked down upon because of their ethnicity and because their parents hold lower-class jobs at local poultry plants. While the pressures of adolescence put a strain on Lynn and Katie’s relationship, the most difficult test for the family comes when Lynn is diagnosed with lymphoma, which requires expensive medical treatment. Through financial and emotional hardship associated with her sister’s illness, Katie learns the true meaning of the book’s title, which means “glittering” or “shining.” Even in the worst of times, Katie discovers how to maintain a positive outlook on life.

            The book deals with many important themes and issues. Firstly, the book has a strong racial aspect. There are constant references to Japanese culture, food, and phrases, as well as consistent reminders of the manner in which the Japanese-American characters are outsiders in Georgia. These multicultural components would be very interesting to any students who are Japanese (or possibly of other East Asian descent), but a reader of any ethnicity would find the multicultural elements understandable and enjoyable. A reader unfamiliar with Japanese culture learns quite a bit about it by reading this book. Beyond the racial dimension, the story contains universal themes relating to friendship, coming of age, sisterhood, family issues, and romance. It also contains the terminal illness of Katie’s sibling, a concept that can be difficult to stomach but that is important nonetheless.

            I would recommend this book for any age of middle school readers. There is nothing inappropriate in the book that would make me hesitate to allow students to read it, and it is fairly simple to understand, meaning that even sixth graders could grasp the concepts it presents. I think that it would work better as an individual read than a class read, but it would definitely fit nicely into any multicultural unit that contained an Asian-American component. I think that girls may enjoy this book a bit more than boys because of the heavy emphasis on the relationship between sisters, but I am male and I found this book enjoyable too. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to be included in a middle school classroom’s library!