Kira Kira

When I first started working as a Youth Services Librarian last year, I decided to try to read as many Newberry Award winners as I can as a way to become familiar with some Juvenile fiction authors. I started with the winner for 2005, Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata.

It’s the story about an Asian girl living in Georgia who experiences the death of her older sister, whom she is very close to. It’s a sad story, but it also is very hopeful. The family is struggling in so many ways. They are minorities, and they struggle with that reality. They struggle to get by financially. And, most importantly, they are dealing with the sickness and demise of the older sister. Yet the story is very hopeful and positive, in the end.

Click here to find Kira Kira in the SPL catalog.

Elsewhere

One of the best books I have read recently has been Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin. It is about a girl, Liz, who wakes up one morning and finds herself on a boat to “Elsewhere.” She finds out eventually that she has died in a car accident (days before her 16th birthday) and “Elsewhere” is where one goes after one has died. Elsewhere is very much like Earth, except that you begin to age backwards in time from the time you die. Because of this, Liz finds herself struggling with the fact that she never reached her 16th birthday (let alone adulthood) and will never experience some of the important milestones one reaches as they age.

Despite the seemingly dark subject matter, the book is very funny and fun to read. Actually it is really hard to put down. Liz falls in love, finds her calling, and meets her grandmother for the first time on Elsewhere. She is able to make contact with her family and realizes that revenge is not the answer. The best part about this book is that it is VERY well written. Which I like very much.

If you would like to read Elsewhere, you can find the book in the SPL catalog by clicking here.