The novel Kira Kira is an inspiring book to encourage readers there is hope even when life can be difficult. Katie, the main character and the family face many challenges but manage to fight through. The book demonstrates what is like to almost have nothing and it makes the reader realize the reader problems could be even worse. The novel takes the reader through the family’s lives and the reader gets to experience what it is like to be living in poverty and hardship.


Primarily, the book begins in Iowa in a small house on an empty street. Katie has a sister named Lynn and they do everything together. Katie looks up to her as a role model and her best friend. The family barely makes months end and the only food they eat is rice. Suddenly, the father has an opportunity to a job opening in Georgia after losing his business. This would make the family much more money. He accepts the job but Katie and her sister are very upset and cry and sob the whole ride there. After the family is settled in, the girls begin school and are bullied and knocked down because of their race. This is hard for Katie to accept but she gets by. Furthermore, the mother has a baby boy which makes it even harder for the family. In addition, Lynn becomes very ill leaving Katie despressed. Katie feels alone, afraid, and scared of what is going to happen next. In the end, the family moves on and it gets better for Katie and the family. The word “Kira Kira,” lives on.

Furthermore, the author’s style is very unique and interesting. The narration the author uses is in Katie’s voice. The novel is easy to understand and is very fun to read. Her voice sounds very calm and quiet but she has a brilliant mind. The style at some points of the book is rather intense but in other parts it is quite and tranquil. For examples, argument occur in the family and the reader can feel the tension. In addition, when Katie and Lynn are playing together, the tone is quite and calming.

Additionally, the characterization of the book is very organized. The dialogue is very easy to read and is very interesting at some points in the book. The author does a good job at expressing what the characters mean. The characters are well thought out and fit their roles in the book. This aspect of the book was one of the best because of how the author demonstrates the characters personalities and their actions in the novel.

To conclude, I recommended this book to anybody. Small children would understand this book as well as adults. The book is defiantly something everybody should reach because it teaches the lesson of being thankful for what you have because in reality, some people have it much worse. Overall, this book is really fun to read and will make you want to read more. In most parts of the story, I felt like I was in the book with the family, experiencing things they did. This book is a must read!