Shiny

Author: (USA) Kado Hata
Translator: Fang Wei / Country: USA
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This is a deeply moving work that depicts the profound family love and sisterly bond. It is also a representative piece that reveals the loneliness and solitude of a dreamer who wanders far from home. The word Sister Lynn taught Kitty to say was "Kira-kira," which means "sparkling" in Japanese. Kitty loved this word! As she grew older, she used "sparkling" to describe all her favorite things: the blue sky, the white snow, cute kittens and puppies, beautiful butterflies, and colorful napkins, and so on. When she was ten years old, Kitty and her family moved from Iowa, USA, to a small town in the southeastern part of Georgia. The hardships of daily life and the discrimination they faced from others hung over Kitty like a dark mountain. It was Sister Lynn who taught her how to bravely face all the misfortunes, to strive to discover and appreciate the various beautiful things in life, and the strong family bond only added to her courage and strength. Unfortunately, Sister Lynn later fell seriously ill, and Kitty took meticulous care of her until her very last moment. The path of life is still long, and Kitty is alone. Can she achieve the dream she shared with her sister all by herself?
This book is the winner of the Newbery Medal, one of the most authoritative children's literature awards in the United States, for the gold medal in 2005. After its release, it stayed on the New York Times Best Seller list for children for several months and was ranked among the top on Amazon's bestseller list for multiple times. Susan Fossett, chair of the Newbery Medal Committee, commented on the book: "This dazzling book narrates Kitty's childhood journey with a calm and steady pen, encompassing the hardships of poverty, discrimination, and family tragedy. While deeply captivating and moving, young readers also see the radiance of hope shining through the melancholic and humorous atmosphere that permeates the book. Kado Hata tells a gripping and heart-stirring story with fresh and elegant language, filled with the mischief and innocence of a child, as well as humor and wisdom. There is also a subtle sense of sorrow and melancholy that runs throughout the book."
In works of youth literature, tragedy and comedy are often distinctly separate styles. This book, however, successfully blends the two and elevates them to an unprecedented artistic height. — The Boston Globe