Kira-Kira
By: Cynthia Kadohata
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers - An imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2004
Inspirational, Beautifully-written, Glittering, Epitome of Strength, Diversity
Awards:
- Winner of the John Newbery Medal, 2005
- Winner of the American Library Association Notable Books for Children, 2005
- Winner of the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, 2005
- Nominated for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, 2006
- Nominated for the Nene Award, 2006
- Nominated for the Garden State Teen Book Award, 2007
- Nominated for the Young Reader's Choice Award, 2007
- Nominated for the Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 2007
- Nominated for the Nene Award, 2007
Summary:
This novel, written by Cynthia Kadohata is set in the 1950s and centers on a Japanese American family, particularly the two sisters, Katie and Lynn Takeshima. Lynn is Katie's older sister and she makes everything seem kira-kira, or glittering. The sky, people's eyes, the sea... is all kira-kira. However, the family up and leaves their home in Iowa to move to Georgia where the Japanese-American population is very small. Lynn has to explain to Katie why people look at them so differently and tries to teach her to view things in a different light. However, when Lynn falls severely ill, it's up to Katie to restore that sense of happiness and remind her family that no matter how far off, there is always something glittering that lies ahead.
Reading Level: Lexile, 740L, Grade 5/6
Suggested Delivery: Small group read
Key Vocabulary: kira-kira, sultry, capitalistic, mind meld, preening, hatchery, shunned, irate, obstinate, heathen
3 Teaching Suggestions:
- Use this text in Social Studies to explore the Japanese culture and compare it with other cultures, specifically the American culture.
- Use this text in Social Studies to discuss the time period (1950s) with students and the concept of cultural discrimination. Have students make text-to-self and text-to-world connections regarding discrimination or another similar hardship they have experienced.
- Use this text in Reading & Language Arts to discuss the elements of the story, particularly point of view. Inquire how point of view/perspective can affect a story and discuss the point of view in this story. Why do you think the author chose this perspective?
Before Reading: Ask students if they have siblings and have them explain the kind of relationship they have with their sibling. Ask students to describe a typical day with their sibiling: how much they interact, what kinds of activities they do, etc. For students who do not have any siblings, have them imagine what they would want their sibling to be like and what kinds of things they would want to do with their sibling. Pose this question to students - How would you feel if one day your sibling were no longer a part of your life? How would that affect you? Emphasize the importance of a sibling relationship.
During Reading: Students will be given a story map where they will write down what they believe to be the main themes of the novel as well as track the characters' development throughout the story. They will also make note of the major events that take place. This story map will be progressively added onto as students continue reading the text.
After Reading: Students will discuss with one another and the class as a whole if they believe Katie's character changed throughout the novel. If they think she changed, how did she change? Why did she change? Was it important that she change? How did her change contribute to bringing happiness back into her family's lives?
Writing Activity: The students will take the definition of kira-kira and apply it to their own lives. They will provide 3 examples of what they view as kira-kira and explain why they chose them. How do these three things affect their lives?
2 Electronic Resources:
- Author's Website: Cynthia Kadohata: This is a great tool to use before reading the novel or after reading the novel. It provides a biography of Cynthia Kadohata as well as lists several other books that the author has written for both older and younger readers. There is also a small section within Cynthia Kadohata's biography that explains her inspiration behind writing Kira-kira. Finally, there are several links to outside websites regarding Leukemia and the Japanese-American culture.
Author: Cynthia Kadohata
- Japanese-Americans in the 1950s: This link brings you to a great student handout that describes how Japanese-Americans were perceived during this time period and why. This is helpful for students to read at any point while reading this novel, before, during or after. It allows students to better understand the time period that this novel is set in as well as why Lynn, Katie and their family are treated the way they are treated.
Japanese Flag
Kadohata, C. (2004). Kira-kira. New York: Atheneum Books
