53 pages 1 hour read

Cynthia Kadohata

Kira-Kira

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2004

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Further Reading & Resources

Further Reading: Literature

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata (2013)

This National Book Award winning novel for young adults touches on many of the same themes as Kira-Kira, including a young, female protagonist coming of age and coping with family demands.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (2019)

This classic coming-of-age novel about four very distinct yet bonded sisters, one of whom dies, has many themes in common with the story of the sisters in Kira-Kira.

Further Reading: Beyond Literature (Nonfiction)

They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott (2019)

This is a mid-grade level memoir about a Japanese American boy living in an internment camp during World War II.

An Hour Before Daylight, by Jimmy Carter (2002)

This memoir of the former President’s life as a boy growing up in rural Georgia reflects many of the same working conditions faced by the workers in Kira-Kira.

Video & Podcast Resources

This video demonstrates one of the half-dozen different ways to decide the sex of a chicken, something poultry sexers must do up to 1000 times an hour.