Cynthia KadohataBesprekingen

I would have rated this higher if it didn’t have language and references to s*x (especially since it is middle grade.)
Audiobook: narrator was excellent

1 Star

Really impressed with this story. There is a lot of heartache and a few well illustrated simple pleasures, all told insimple but poetic language. The details of Japanese experience in the time and place added interest and I loved her flawed but honorable characters

I hated for this book to end, and, in fact, the ending is the only place I would quibble with it.. I felt like it was kind of abrupt and a bit dissatisfying (sequel coming maybe?).

Other than that, it was another showcase for Kadohata's mastery as a storyteller and word weaver. Although the story is told in third person, we are IN Sumiko's head, and we see the world so poignantly and honestly, with her eyes.

Even the least consequential characters are clear and real, and Kadohata has managed to tackle one of the most difficult, shameful chapters in American history with brushstrokes of beauty and light. When they say writers should "show not tell," this is the perfect example. She avoids being preachy, or maudlin manipulation. Instead, she lets the telling detail reveal the truth. I think this should be required reading for all middle school American children.

I just loved this. I am reading lots more YAF and Juvenile Fiction these days, and this was a gem. The point of view of the little sister was pitch perfect, and seeing her family's life through her eyes was the ultimate example of "show, don't tell." It could have turned maudlin but it didn't. It could have been preachy but it wasn't.

It was an important story, beautifully told.

I almost didn't want to read it, but after the first few pages, I was hooked. The characters, especially Summer's Japanese grandparents, are funny and kind. While there is some nod the the characters Japanese heritage and culture, this book is more about first crushes, brothers with poor social function and OCD, mosquitoes and wheat harvesting. The relationships are full of the normal ups and downs and the unusual setting of a family of traveling combine harvesters was fascinating.

Recommended Ages: Gr. 4-6

Plot Summary: On a family walk, Becca finds a tiny, runty pig in a bush. She wants to take it home but the pig has mange. Dad uses one of his shirts to wrap up the pig and they bring the tiny pig to the vet, who says it's a bad case of mange and the piglet might not make it. Becca knows it's her job in this world to take care of this pig and she jumps in wholeheartedly, thinking of the pig constantly and visiting the pig at the vet. Finally, they get to take the pig home after a warning from the vet that the pig will get very large. Becca is devastated; she doesn't want to have to give up the pig ever but refuses to spend too much time thinking about it. Instead, she cares for her pig, which can be a lot of trouble after Saucy destroys the kitchen, the cupboards, and more. Becca makes a list of the things that she needs to fix or replace and promises to follow through. Her brothers (they are quadruplets) end up sleeping in the kitchen with her and helping her care for the pig. On a family walk past the place they found Saucy, they discover there are lots of long buildings, likely holding lots more pigs. Will Becca ever be able to give up Saucy to the santuary? Will Becca and her brothers figure out the secret about those buildings where they suspect Saucy came from?

Setting:

Characters:
Becca - 11 yo,
Bailey - Becca's brother, in a wheelchair,
Jammer - Becca's brother, loves soccer
K.C. - Becca's brother, thinks about an alternative world
Grandma -
Mom - falls in love with the pig easily,
Dad - works, on Becca's side at the beginning and lets her keep the pig
MacKenzie - Becca's former friend

Recurring Themes: confidence, pet, siblings, family, hobbies, money, accountability,

Controversial Issues:
pg 97 Holy frick
pg 236 crap

Personal Thoughts: We tried to listen to this one on a road trip but didn't get hooked (kids were 6&8). I understand why. It's written in such a way where you don't totally believe you are the characters and there is a big plot change at the very end that seems rushed compared to the first third of the story. I don't like that the characters are only each known for one thing, although I do like how connected the siblings are in caring for Saucy. I do like the conversations of accountability and responsibility that Becca has and I like that her brother is in a wheelchair and it's not a big deal, but there's little mention other than Jammer carrying him to and from his wheelchair and his therapy is the most important thing in the family.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: slow
Characters: not super well developed, mostly known for just one thing each
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity:½

I’m not sure why I loved this book so much when it’s too long and lacks a compelling plot. To me, the power of the writing is compelling enough on its own. It’s not poetic writing, it’s crawl-inside-the-brain-of-a-character writing. I found it deeply absorbing and I think there will be young readers who will enjoy it as much as I did. Connor’s life is hockey and it becomes a framework through which we explore the meaning of life.

I agree with all the other reviewers who have praised this book for its great characters and wonderful writing and then asked, "But what kid is going to like it?" Or to be frank, "What kid is going to even pick it up?" This is a hard sell. Like [b:Out of the Dust|25346|Out of the Dust|Karen Hesse|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328867076s/25346.jpg|808243] hard sell (but at least it has a lively cover!).

I laughed out loud a few times at Obachan and Summer's interactions and I thought Summer was a real kid's kid. She had a great, relatable voice. Still, the book has virtually no plot and, even though it is very well written, I felt like Summer's strong reactions to [b:A Separate Peace|5148|A Separate Peace|John Knowles|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348084274s/5148.jpg|39755] might have been a little prescriptive--as in, Summer is deeply affected by this book she's reading, so you, Reader, may also be affected by the book you're reading.

So, this book is a winner in my heart, but I just don't know how many kids are going to get through it and appreciate all it has to offer. Can the same be said of [b:Kira-Kira|89731|Kira-Kira|Cynthia Kadohata|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348528509s/89731.jpg|2096693]?

We've probably all read heartwarming stories of adoption. This is not one of those stories. In fact, this story may make you think twice about your romantic notions of adoption. Jaden is a 12-year-old boy adopted from Romania at age 8 by an American couple. Seeing life from his point of view may break your heart. He feels unable to love. He thinks constantly of the birth mother who abandoned him. He compulsively hurts himself, sets fires, steals, and lies. He is all too aware that he makes life very difficult for his parents.

Going into a story like this, I completely expected Jaden to have a big change of heart by the end of the story. We're supposed to believe that adoption is for the best, right? That it always has a happy ending? Well, spoiler alert, there's not a lot of consolation at the end of this story. Not that there's none, but it definitely left me with a sense of dread, even as I choked up over Jaden's final revelation.

It was hard for me to read this story objectively because I hope to adopt myself one day. It felt like a cautionary tale. I applaud Cynthia Kadohata for telling a hard story, and telling it so beautifully, as she always does. I'd recommend this for ages 11 and up, particularly if the reader is interested in stories of kids facing adversity and not necessarily triumphing, but surviving. It's bleak, but it's powerful and not without hope.

Well, now it feels like winter in Seattle and I'm ready to read bummer books for the next eight months so my literary life can match the weather. First up, Kira-Kira, a book in which not much happens, and what does happen is mostly sad.

That's not much of an endorsement to start off, but you have to give author Kadohata mad props for her clear, elegant, perfectly constructed prose. Katie's voice was like a bright light, glittering in it's own kira-kira way. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator really did the work justice.

When this won the Newbery Medal in 2005, Award Committee Chair Susan Faust said, "Young readers will be drawn into a narrative that radiates hope from the inside out." I'm not sure I agree with her about the book radiating hope. I mostly found it depressing, but I thought it was depressing in a really beautiful way.

Take the premise. The Takeshima family lives in Georgia in the 1950s and are socially isolated from all but the few other Japanese-Americans in their town. Katie worships her older sister, Lynn, but Lynn becomes ill and her health deteriorates. Both Katie's parents work exhausting and degrading jobs in the poultry industry. Katie grows up watching her parents struggle to pay Lynn's medical bills and their mortgage. The book is full of her observations about life and her community.

It's definitely a good read, but a hard sell. It's tough to guess what ages are going to enjoy this book. It starts off sounding very young (Katie is just 5 or 6 in the beginning), but it doesn't have much of plot to keep young readers interested. Older readers may be put off by the main character being so young in the beginning, but they'll be more apt to appreciate this book's strengths and make it though to the end.

6.5/10

Engaging story of Conor's year - as he advances in his hockey league, as he struggles to accept his family life - mom died awhile ago, stepmom has left, it's just his dad and himself, and figure out how to get ready for a step up in school. And then there's his beautiful faithful rescue dog Sinbad, who just happens to have developed a cancerous tumor. Worthy for any 6-9th grade readers, esp those who enjoy hockey!½

This is one of those books I have had on my school shelves for quite some time. A student read it and then asked “the question”, Have you read this book? Why no I had not gotten to it yet. So they recommend it be one I read over Spring Break. Unlike my students I grew up as a young teen during the Vietnam War. I had background knowledge they didn’t have. Dogs were used for scouting, to check out tunnels, find hidden enemies. Many of these dogs were left behind after the war.

Cracker is a dog who was paired with Rick, a young man who enlisted in the army. She had been a show dog, then the dog of a young boy who had to give her up. An ad in the newspaper is how she ended up in the army. When Rick is injured Cracker does her best to protect him. This is a story about a brave dog, a young man and his love and trust in this dog. There are some very tense moments in the book. This is definitely a book I want to pass on to my grandson Jacob. I think with some front loading of information about the Vietnam War, this will become one of his favorite books as well.

3.5 stars.

It starts off kind of boring for me, I've never been too interested in flowers.

Other than that, it became pretty good when they started going to the camps and became a fast paced book. I do wonder what happened to her uncle and Jiichan (I hope I spelled that right) and the book left kind of a sad/happy feeling. Sad she had to leave her friends behind, but happy she got to go to a different state to start a new life with her aunt and brother.

When I first started reading it, I thought it was cute and I was excited to read more.... then I got about half way through. I don't think it really had much of a plot. Yes they find a pig, the pig is cute and destructive but very little actually happens. Then the book kind of just ended. I personally wanted it to be better. However, I might be in the minority. The illustrations were adorable and really brought something to the book.

It is with a heavy heart that I write the following review. I am seeking out other works of the author because -this- was her debut into middle-grade fiction, and I want to read other works in case she was simply out of her depth with this.
The author has an astonishing ability to make interesting settings, time periods and concepts completely boring. This could have been a heartbreaking drama, but the author padded her word count, detracted from plot in an attempt to set up more bland setting and uninteresting--everything. There are over a dozen subplots in this novel, and only one is ever explored for more than two pages. Often, the subplots last half a page. They alternate between being Big Lipped Alligator Moments (credit goes to Nostalgia Chick for the term) and Roads to Nowhere (credit goes to Das Mervin of Das Sporking for the term). The author starts the book by writing in the first-person POV of a young child and does miserably at it. The book lacks coherency until the character hits her teen years, and the tone is all wrong for a child. Children don't think in those terms, wouldn't use those words, and don't describe things like that. The author probably excels at writing adults, and I'm interested in reading a book from that POV.
The ending could have also wrung some sadness out of me had I any interest or emotional attachment to the characters. Instead, I was glad the book was finally over.

The story of Sumiko and her family, Japanese Americans interned during WWII. Covers the whole experience -- from rejection by her community to reluctance to leave when they are allowed to go, to the uncomfortable relationship between the Native tribes already on the reservation where the internment camp, Poston, was eastablished. Very thorough, very well researched, and Sumiko's often awkward navigation of friendships and family are compelling.

An amazingly easy book to fall into -- lovely prose, lovely family -- in hard times. Parents work unendingly at the local chicken processing plants, kids fend for themselves as needed, and are somewhat alienated as a Japanese family in a small Georgia town. Oldest sister gets sick and dies of cancer. Small brother gets his leg caught in a metal trap. It's a bummer. Has a certain stoic beauty, though, and an amazing ability to continue despite everything.

This is a tough story, sensitively told. Set in the aftermath of the American Internment of Japanese Americans, Hanako and her family are repatriated to Japan, after being forced to renounce their citizenship under duress. They are "returned" to Hiroshima and Hanako is suddenly adjusting to a country and a life that is nothing like where she grew up. It's a quiet moving book -- a lot happens, but much of the emotion lurks beneath the surface. There is the awful fear of starvation, the knowledge of hunger balanced against the freedom of a new life with her grandparents. It brings home a lot of the beauty of traditional Japanese culture and values, while embracing the West and the opportunity America represented. It holds America accountable, but in a compassionate manner. It illustrates the heartbreaking decisions that war forces families to make.

Advanced Readers Copy provided by Edelweiss.

Cynthia Kadohata really doesn't pull any punches, and this book, set in North Vietnam after the American forces have withdrawn is a very realistic story of genocide. It's also a story about profound bonds with elephants, and about the hopeless choices one makes in war. It's packed with all kinds of thoughtful relationships and messages, but ultimately it is a tragic piece. There are no winners, there is only hardship with a thin gleam of hope, and there is a horrific massacre. I'm glad to know more about this time in this country, even as my own country's actions appall me, but I would keep this book for tweens or teens -- Y'Tin may only be 13, but the lessons he is learning are harsh.

I admire the unflinching depiction of Jaden, who is an adopted child that personifies all the horror stories that adoptive parents fear: attachment issues, fire starting, anger, and kleptomania. He is at war with himself, torn between gratitude for living in a place with electricity and food and furious resentment about being taken out of his country away from any possible reunification with his mother.

I like books that confront our less than stellar natures, and I really like that this book offers hope in the end, on a realistic level.


My copy provided by Edelweiss.

I usually don't finish a book I know I will be giving a two star rating (based solely on my enjoyment value, NOT the quality of the writing). I continued with this one because I was intrigued to read about a slice of America which I had very little familiarity with; Japanese Americans after WWII. While I admit to learning some interesting things, who knew chicken sexing was a thing? The author failed to connect the long rambling memories of the narrator with history, culture or family. At least I did not find any of those connections; and I need them to enjoy a story. Especially a story which doesn't seem to have a point. Anyway, others may find more enjoyment in this than I did.

Kira-kira means glittering in Japanese which this book is not. It's a quiet and innocent book. I can see why people can love this book.

Told from the eyes of a young Japanese girl whose family moves to Georgia, this book won a Newberry award. The author did a fantastic job of telling the world from Katie's innocent eyes. It's just that I was more interested in finishing the book then actually caring about the characters in the book.