First published 2008
Katie Takeshima's older sister Lynn has a gift for making the world sparkle. Lynn teaches Katie that the sky glitters because it holds deep color and transparency together. The ocean shines for the same reason. Even people's eyes can be kira-kira, which means glittering in Japanese. When their family leaves the familiar Japanese community in Iowa for the unfamiliar Deep South of Georgia, Lynn helps Katie understand why strangers stare at them on the street. Lynn shows Katie how to see past today's troubles toward tomorrow's possibilities. But when Lynn falls seriously ill, the Takeshima family starts breaking apart. Katie must find her own strength to hold everyone together. She needs to remind her parents and herself that something bright always waits ahead, even in the darkest moments. Katie discovers that Lynn's lessons about finding kira-kira in the world have prepared her to find hope when her family needs it most.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, coming-of-age, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Georgia, Iowa
Period: 20th-century
272 pages · Kindle Edition · Atheneum Books for Young Readers