Background
and Summary
Kira-Kira, written by Cynthia Kadohata,
received the Newbery Medal award in 2005. Kadohata, a Japanese-American author,
wrote many stories identifying with the struggles of the Japanese-American
children. Told in the first-person voice of four-year-old Katie Takeshima, this
novel begins with a Japanese-American family living in the United States during
the 1950s (Kadohata, 1). This time period exhibited discrimination against many
minorities including the Japanese-Americans. Less than a decade had passed
since WWII when the Americans held the Japanese in internment camps because of
the fear brought from the attack on Pearl Harbor. Because of the negative
identification with Japanese-Americans during WWII, some Americans held on to
their bitterness toward the Japanese even after the conclusion of the war.
The story of Kira-Kira begins with a Japanese American family living in Iowa. Katie,
her sister Lynn, and their parents run their own Japanese market, but when the
market goes out of business, Katie and her family move to Georgia where her
parents work with other Japanese-Americans in the chicken hatchery. When the
family makes the move to Georgia, Katie experiences the harsh realities of
discrimination for the first time in her life. Her older sister, Lynn, explains
to her that some people simply do not like others because they are different. From
that moment on in the story, Katie continues to develop and mature.
As
the story continues to develop, the reader recognizes the close bond between
Katie and her older sister. She practically worships Lynn who loves school and
receives straight A's. Lynn, always looking on the bright side, teaches Katie
to enjoy all the "kira-kira" (glittering) things of life. After their
move to Georgia, however, the sisters begin to grow apart as Lynn makes friends
her own age at school. While Lynn spends more time with her friend, Amber,
Katie spends more time taking care of her little brother, Sammy. Because
Katie's parents work long hours, Katie must take on more responsibilities at
home. Masao and Kiyoko Takeshima, Katie's parents, both work long days in order
to save enough money to buy a house for their family. Kiyoko, Katie's mother,
possesses a protective spirit for her family, and she seems to be in a constant
state of worry. Masao, Katie's father, possesses the spirit of a kind and
generous man who would go to the end of the earth for his family. Throughout
the remainder of the story, the family must take on many new struggles
together.
At
this point the story reaches a climax when the family receives the horrible
news that Lynn has cancer. In order to give Lynn extra comfort, her parent's
buy a new house. Because of rising medical bills and house payments, Katie's
parents must work even longer hours. During the time of Lynn's sickness, Katie
begins to "grow-up" as she takes care of Sammy and other tasks at
home. In her maturing process, she begins to realize the importance of school.
Throughout her life, Lynn encourages Katie to read and make goals for herself,
but Katie does not fully understand the significance of school until she sees
her sister dying.
The
story takes a tragic turn when Lynn passes away, and her family goes through a
state of mourning. Katie's father lashes out in anger, and her mother cries all
the time while Katie tries to deny the fact that Lynn is gone. At the end of
the story, the family eventually finds peace with the loss of Lynn when they
visit the ocean in California. Katie smiles when she sees the sun shining on
the ocean, and she remembers "kira-kira."
Gender/Age
Interest Level for This Novel
This
book mostly connects with girls because of the age and gender of the narrator
and main characters of the book. The novel centers on Katie, who ages from four
years old to twelve years old within the course of the novel, and her sister,
Lynn. Young girls would also enjoy the smaller cast of characters which mainly
consists of family members. The emotional aspect of the book, also, draws the
attention of girls as they can relate to Katie's experiences with jealousy,
anger, hurt, sadness, and happiness. Although the book appeals mostly to girls,
the book possesses some characteristics which may appeal to boys as well. Boys
may enjoy the broader setting as the family moves from Iowa to Georgia, and in
a few different instances, the family takes camping trips into the woods. Boys
may also connect with the realism in this story.
The
interest level of this book falls anywhere from sixth to eighth grade and is
considered early adolescent. Although the interest level tends to be more
middle-aged adolescents, the reading level of the book is actually fourth or
fifth grade. Younger adolescents tend to enjoy this book for its features such
as the following: the historical setting of the 1950s, the focus on a
particular family, and the historical content of racial discrimination.
Using
This Book as a Tool for Developing Mature Readers
This
book deals with four of the nine major adolescent tasks. First, both Lynn and
Katie begin to develop relationships with people of the same sex. Lynn gains a
friend in Amber, and Katie gains a friend named Sylvia or Silly. Both sisters
develop meaningful relationships with these friends, and these friendships are portrayed
as typical and healthy. For example, Katie meets Sylvia at the chicken hatchery
where Katie's mother works. Katie's mom, however, does not agree with some of
the views of Sylvia's mom. As a result, Katie's mom does not care for Sylvia at
first. Even though Katie and Sylvia's mothers do not get along, the girls still
find friendship in one another. The girls show respect for their parents while
trying to maintain their friendship with one another. At the end of the book,
Katie's mother puts aside her differences with Sylvia's mother and shows
hospitality toward Sylvia and her mother.
The
book also develops the adolescent relationships with members of the opposite
sex. In chapter five, Katie and Lynn go camping with their aunt and uncle. On
this trip, Lynn invites her friend Amber to come along. The two girls are extra
excited about this camping trip because two boys their age are going to be at
the same campsite. While camping, Lynn and Amber spend most of their time with
the two boys from their class and begin to develop crushes on the boys. Katie,
on the other hand, thinks Lynn and Amber are silly for being “in love” with
these boys, and Katie would rather go play with her cousins, David and Daniel.
The novel does not directly address the relationship with the opposite sex, but
the novel gives an impression of what relationships with the opposite sex are
at a certain age. At Lynn’s age, she begins to develop a sense of infatuation
with the opposite sex; whereas, at Katie’s age, she wants to play with and
hang-out with the opposite sex. The book portrays Lynn and Amber’s relationship
with boys in a loose and silly way. As a Christian teacher in public school
setting, the teacher should address how students should be interacting with
friends of the opposite sex. Students should develop healthy relationships with
other students of the opposite sex, but they should be careful to guard their
emotions at such a young age when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex.
In
a third task of adolescents, Katie begins to grow independent from her parents.
Katie is an independent-minded young girl, and so she tends to figure things
out for herself. At the beginning of the novel, because both of her parents
work long hours at the chicken hatchery, Katie must learn to do things on her
own. One particular scene demonstrates this independence. When Katie and Lynn
find out that their parents would like to buy a new house but cannot afford one
at the time, the sisters decide to save their “candy” money in order to help
their parents. In this situation, Katie’s parents do not have to ask them for
the money, but they choose to give the money in their own independent will.
Katie continues to grow independent when the family discovers Lynn’s sickness.
As Katie’s parents spend more time at work to pay medical bills, Katie must
help with house chores and meals, and because Katie’s mother must care for
Lynn, Katie takes on much of the responsibility of caring for her younger
brother, Sammy. The novel teaches respect and not rebellion as Katie grows
independent from her parents.
Finally,
Katie begins to find a sense of mission and purpose in her life. Although she
is still young at the end of the novel, Katie matures throughout the story and
begins to understand what she wants to do with her life. At the beginning of
the novel, Katie cannot understand why Lynn loves school and reading. By the
end of the novel, Katie learns to work harder in school, and she understands
the purpose of getting a higher education so that she can prepare herself for a
vocation in the future. The novel demonstrates the importance of reading and
education, and the author shows the growth of Katie as a maturing person.
Potential
Issues with This Book
For
Christians, the biggest issue with this book is its portrayal of death. After
Lynn's death, her family goes through a time of mourning in which her mother
cannot keep up with the house work, her father explodes into a temper, and her
sister, Katie, denies the reality of Lynn's death. The book does not end with
the continuation of this mourning; however, the characters' source of peace is
completely hopeless in the eyes of the Christian. First, Katie's uncle teaches
her a Buddhist belief that the dead person's spirit remains on the earth for
forty-nine days after the person's death. On the forty-ninth day after Lynn's
death, Katie opens the window to their room and "releases" Lynn's
spirit. At this point in the story, Katie finally accepts the fact that her
sister is gone. At the very end of the book, Katie and her family visit
California, and when Katie looks out at the ocean, she believes she hears
Lynn's voice in the waves.
As
students read this book on their own or with the class, the teacher should
address this issue on death. In a public school, the teacher may not be able to
teach only the biblical view of death; however, the teacher should address the
subject in discussion with the class. The teacher can ask students in the class
their "hope" or "peace" in death. In a public school
classroom, Christian students may speak about their beliefs in this situation,
or the teacher may be able to explain multiple views on death including the
biblical hope.
Recommendation
I would not suggest this book as a
class read, but I would recommend keeping a copy of the book on your classroom
bookshelf. Although the book deals with issues such as discrimination and
death, which should be discussed in a classroom setting, I believe that many
other novels deal with the same issues from a better perspective.
On
the other hand, I think that teachers should have this book available to their
students. The book relates mostly with young girls, but some boys may enjoy it
as well. Because of the deeper issues dealt with in the book, I would suggest the
novel to middle school; but because of the easier reading level, this book would
appeal to girls as young as fourth grade. Girls in general connect with the
main character of the book, but young girls in minority groups may especially
relate and empathize with the characters because of the discrimination experienced
in the book. I think, though, that any group of young girls should read this
book in order to learn to empathize with other ethnic groups that they may be
unfamiliar with such as the Japanese-Americans.
Resources
for Teaching or Research on the Novel
Novel
Guide provides excellent information on the book Kira-Kira. Not only does this site provide research and background
information to the book, but the site also provides information to enhance the
lessons as well. For example, the site provides a summary of each chapter, as
well as suggested themes and character profiles. The site also includes
potential essay question and answers. Simon and Schuster is another great
source of information for the teacher to use in student reading groups. The
site offers potential research topics such as researching the role of women in
Japan today, and the site also provides pre-reading questions to give the
students background knowledge prior to reading the book.
Google
Books also provides a literature unit based on Kira-Kira. The book is sold online, but this book can be partially
accessed online. The vocabulary lists provided in this unit plan offer a great
tool for teaching vocabulary along with the reading. Webteaching.com also
offers many great ideas for lesson plans centered on Kira-Kira. On this site, teachers can find novel activities,
writing activities, vocabulary words, and even an online test.
Strategies
for Teaching Reading with the Novel
Jigsaw is one reading strategy that
can be incredibly effective in the classroom. In the Jigsaw process, students
break into groups of four or five. Once the students are in their groups, each
student receives a particular question that he or she will be responsible for
answering. After the students decide which question they want to answer, they
will break off from their original group into "expert" groups. Every
student with the same question will find his or her "expert" group
and discuss their question/topic together. Once they have discussed their
particular question, the students will go back to their original group and
share their knowledge with the group. This strategy works well because the
discussion allows students to hear others' opinions and learn more than they
would have learned independently.
Another
thought-provoking reading strategy is Annotating Text. Basically, the annotated
text monitors the thought process of the students as they read. Students write
down any questions, comments, key passages, etc. that they find within a given
text. When using the annotated text with Kira-Kira,
the teacher should print a copy of a key text found within the story. In class,
students can take the time to read and reread the text and annotate as they go
through the process. Once the students have had sufficient time to do their
annotation, they can share with a partner what they learned or they can ask
questions that they may have. The teacher might also encourage students to use
the annotation process during their take-home reading assignments.
One
more reading strategy that can be used is Reciprocal Teaching. With this
strategy, students will work in groups of four. The teacher will then assign
each student in the group a job title. These jobs include the predictor, the
questioner, the clarifier and the summarizer. In their group, the students will
read one chapter of the book. Before they begin to read, the predictor will try
to guess what with the plot and characters in that chapter. Then, the
questioner will ask any questions that may arise during the reading, and the
clarifier will be the one to help clarify those questions and any other
confusing items in the chapter. At the end of the chapter and discussion, the
summarizer will review the chapter.
Works Cited
Kadohata, Cynthia. Kira-Kira. New York: Alladin Paperbacks, 2004. Print.
Kadohata, Cynthia. "My Life, Real and
Imagined." Cynthiakadohata.com 2014-2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
Louisianabelieves. "Whole
Class." Louisiana Department of Education, Louisianabelieves.com. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
Novelguide. "Kira-Kira: Novel
Summary." Novelguide.com 1999-2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
Scholastic. "Kira-Kira."
Scholastic.com 2015. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
SimonandSchuster. "Kira-Kira."
Simonandschuster.com 2015. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
