Kira-Kira Audiobook By Cynthia Kadohata cover art

Kira-Kira

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Kira-Kira

By: Cynthia Kadohata
Narrated by: Elaina Erika Davis
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $12.60

Buy for $12.60

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

kira-kira (kee' ra kee' ra): glittering; shining

Glittering. That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is kira-kira because its color is deep but see-through at the same time. The sea is kira-kira for the same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop them on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering, kira-kira, in the future.

Luminous in its persistence of love and hope, Kira-Kira is Cynthia Kadohata's stunning debut in middle-grade fiction. Kira-Kira won the 2005 Newbery Medal for most distinguished American children's book.

Click here to see a full list of Newbery Medal winners and Newbery Honor winners.©2005 Cynthia Kadohata (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group
Family Life Growing Up & Facts of Life Primary Education Japanese For Kids
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

  • Newbery Medal Winner, 2005

"Lynn's ability to teach Katie to appreciate the "kira-kira", or glittering, in everyday life makes this novel shine." (Publishers Weekly)
"In her first novel for young people, Kadohata stays true to the child's viewpoint in plain, beautiful prose that can barely contain the passionate feelings." (Booklist)
"All of the characters are believable and well developed....Girls will relate to and empathize with the appealing protagonist." (School Library Journal)

What listeners say about Kira-Kira

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    170
  • 4 Stars
    69
  • 3 Stars
    40
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    7
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    129
  • 4 Stars
    42
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    117
  • 4 Stars
    42
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The book was really great

I like the story because it hooked you in and I could not stop listening.📔

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful family fair!

This is a wonderfully stirring book with a wonderful narrator. On an road trip, my family (kids 4-10, mother, grandmother) listened with rapt attention. We laughed, we sympathised, and the children asked questions that led to wonderful discussions. A wonderful way to spend a trip or an evening at home. Definitely beats hearing "Are we there yet?" over and over.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a touching book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have already recommended this book to my sister - it is slow to develop into a story about a younger sister's loss of her older sister. The love described is beautiful; the sister is nurtured by her sister and she, in turn, nurtures her younger brother. The parents, immigrants from Japan in the early 50's, must work every day for long hours. They love their children, but the direct nurturing comes from each other.

What other book might you compare Kira-Kira to and why?

There is no comparison to this book. It was so delightful in many ways but so sad in other ways.

What about Elaina Erika Davis’s performance did you like?

I loved her role in first person telling the story of a young woman's perspective of having an ill sister and of her having to take on roles that aren't comfortable. She portrayed the character very well.

If you could rename Kira-Kira, what would you call it?

Butterfly

Any additional comments?

The only thing I didn't clearly understand was some of the cultural issues. I would have to look to ensure that Japanese people celebrate American New Year in that area rather than Chinese New Year - they very well may have started embracing American holidays. Most other Asians celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good soup

It is well narrated and full of emotion. There is a good theme that is demonstrated in the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sparkling

Kira Kira was a heartbreaking story with "sparkling" detail of each character, setting and event.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful story!

This story was read beautifully and the plot is gorgeous as well. It’s sad but necessary. Family dynamics, Japanese culture, and childhood grief are told in such a way that anyone can see how wonderful life can be.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

The performance is great! What a sad but wholesome story. It was very much worth it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An Emotional Rollercoaster

I listened to this book in the car with my kids aged 5, 8 and 12, as we drove to our vacation spot. All four of us loved it, although it might be a tad too mature for most kids under the age of 8. The poignant story made us laugh and also made us cry (well, mostly I cried, truth be told). It raised many issues for discussion: segregation, family values and matters of life and death. The story offered a peek into the experience of one Japanese-American family moving from Iowa to Georgia in order to improve their quality of life. Beautifully written and also beautifully narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Told very well

I loved this book as a kid and decided to revisit it with audible. I love this story, so sweet. The narration was so good it made it that much more enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great for a Car Trip with Kiddos

This book talks about death in a way that is dealable. It's a great book to listen to on a short road trip with kiddos, and then start a conversation about death if need be. It lends itself to that. For someone without that intent and just wanting a story, the character development is nice, but it felt like the story was blotchy--missing pieces. It was nice enough, but if it were more than 5 hours, it would have lost my interest.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful