1001 Cranes [Paperback]

Naomi Hirahara (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

“A contemplative story.”—Booklist

When twelve-year-old Angela Kato arrives in L.A., the last thing she wants to do is spend the entire summer with her grandparents. But in the Kato family, one is never permitted to complain. Grandma Michi and Aunt Janet put Angela to work in their flower shop, folding origami and creating 1001-crane displays for newlyweds. At first, Angela learns the trade begrudgingly. But when her folding skills improve and her relationships with family and friends grow, Angela is able to cope with her troubles, especially her parents’ impending divorce.

“A wonderfully engaging and poignant novel about a revered Japanese American custom that transforms the life of a lost young girl.”—Cynthia Kadohata, Newbery Award–winning author of Kira-Kira

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—Twelve-year-old Angela Kato is not thrilled at the prospect of leaving her home in a San Francisco suburb in order to spend the summer with her disapproving Grandma Michi, her strange Aunt Janet, and her good-natured grandfather in their unattractive, crowded house in smog-filled Los Angeles. Her time will be spent folding origami "1001-cranes displays," considered good luck for weddings, for her grandparents' business. Besides missing her friends, Angela knows that her parents are separating again, and that her dad has already rented an apartment. Once in LA, Angela meets several new people who have burdens of their own. A younger girl, Rachel, has just been adopted, and Angela observes that her grandmother acts far more lovingly to this child than she does to Angela. Next door, two sisters-in-law seem to hate each other even while they are involved in planning a celebration for their parents-in-law. Unexpectedly, Angela meets a boy who wants to date her, and she tries to keep him a secret from her watchful family. Her colorful, bold voice captures the excitement of her first love as well as the anxiety of not understanding the many secrets of the adults around her. By experiencing her family's support, by learning about her Japanese heritage, and by acknowledging the various ways that love is expressed, Angela emerges into a strong, caring person.—Lillian Hecker, Town of Pelham Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

When her parents’ marriage starts to implode in northern California, 12-year-old Angela is shipped off to Los Angeles to spend the summer with her maternal, Japanese American grandparents and aunt. At first, Angela resents the move, especially the hours spent in her grandparents’ “1001 Cranes” room, where the family creates elaborate origami displays for sale. She also struggles to communicate with her taciturn family, particularly her grandmother. Gradually, though, she finds comfort and new confidence as she masters the intricate paper folding techniques and discovers new ways to reach out to those around her. Hirahara, best known for her adult mysteries, offers a quiet, contemplative story that captures a girl’s first steps into adolescence amid family grief and reconciliation. The story’s gentle pace and sometimes superfluous detail may frustrate some readers, but Angela’s questions about her family history and Japanese American culture, her acute sensitivity, and her heartache will resonate with young people of all backgrounds, particularly those who, like Angela, yearn “to be the glue that fastens . . . parents together again.” Grades 4-7. --Gillian Engberg --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Yearling; Reprint edition (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440422345
• ISBN-13: 978-0440422341
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #912,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Multicultural Stories > Asian & Asian American

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, September 24, 2008

By 

Susan McBride (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1001 Cranes (Hardcover)

Full disclosure: I know Naomi from the mystery world, where she's an Edgar Award winner. So I was excited to read 1001 CRANES and see what she had up her sleeve when it came to telling a story through the eyes of a 12-year-old. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Angie Kato is an engaging protagonist going through a tough time. Her parents are splitting up, and she's sent to stay with her grandparents in LA for the summer. As if that's not hard enough, she's got to learn how to make Grade-A origami cranes for wedding displays. Angie's a tough cookie with a soft core (kind of like a Tootsie Pop), so she's easy for the reader to root for. The writing style is modern and charming at once. I'm hardly a tween, but I simply loved this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for advanced elementary through middle school age groups, October 11, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1001 Cranes (Hardcover)

Naomi Hirahara's 1001 CRANES tells of pre-teen Angela, who arrives in a small town outside of Los Angeles but wants to be home in Northern California with her friends. She's being sent away to be shielded from the pain of her parents' possible divorce - but she feels no better at her grandparents' house, until plans for her help in their flower shop change her life. A heart-warming story of adjustment, this is recommended for advanced elementary through middle school age groups. An excellent leisure read for middle school readers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful coming-of-age story, September 20, 2008

By 

Jackie Houchin (Sun Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1001 Cranes (Hardcover)

What a delightful book! I could hardly put it down, and laughed and cried in all the right places.

Naomi Hirahara has a wonderful grasp on the 12-year-old mind set, emotions and viewpoint, and easily reveals it in her prose and dialogue.

Her descriptions of Angie's grandparents' home and lifestyle are very visual. They brought to mind homes and businesses that I've be in years ago. Readers will learn a lot about Japanese culture, especially about the 1001 origami crane displays (why/how they are made) as part of the story.

I was pleased by the descriptions of the neighbor's religious convictions and what all happened at her church when Angie visited there. Tender, truthful, but without preaching.

The issues that Angie encounters during the summer she stays with her grandparents - parental divorce, adoption, pre-teen boy/girl relationships, keeping secrets (both good and bad), infidelity, cancer, familial conflict - are the kinds of things kids face every day. Ms Hirahara treats them with honesty, compassion, and even a touch of humor.

Ms Hirahara is already an accomplished and Edgar-Award-winning author of adult mystery fiction, but I hope "1001 Cranes" will be only the first of many Young Adult books that she writes.

I definitly recommend it to teen and pre-teen girls, and to moms or grandmas looking for a good book to give as a gift.