Hiroshima Dreams [Hardcover]

Kelly Easton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2007

Lin can’t explain the knowledge she has of the future, of what people will say or what will happen. It’s a gift she shares with Obaasan, her grandmother, who has recently come from Japan to live with Lin’s family. But seeing the future is more than knowing whether or not a boy will call. What is Lin to make of the visions she has of a day long ago, when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima?

Acclaimed author Kelly Easton’s poignant coming-of-age novel about a girl with psychic abilities is rich in imagery and memorable characters.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kelly Easton lives in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (October 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525478213
• ISBN-13: 978-0525478218
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,613,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kelly Easton grew up in Los Angeles, California. From the time she can first remember, she was obsessed with the destruction of the beauty of the area, orange groves and strawberry fields and charming downtowns, by the suburban sprawl of the seventies. Her search for the perfect place has sent her all over the place, most recently North Carolina and now New England.

Kelly has an MFA in playwriting from UC San Diego. She teaches in a low residency MFA program in writing for children and young adults at Hamline University, and lives on islands in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She also teaches creative writing to kids in summer workshops, and helps other writers edit their books. Kelly lives with her husband, Michael Ruben, and their children: Isaac, Isabelle, Mollie and Rebecca (plus their dog Garfield). She has just finished her first adult novel, Dreams in the Land of Photographs. You can reach her through her website: www.kellyeaston.com

Kelly's novels have won many awards, among them, the Asian/Pacific American Literature Award, the ASTAL Middle School Book of the Year Award, NYPL Book For the Teen Age, Kentucky Bluegrass Masterlist (Hiroshima Dreams); an ALA Quick Pick listing, and nomination for the ABE award, 2010 (Aftershock); Atlanta parents Best Book, and NYPL Book for the Teen Age (White Magic); a Boston Author's Club Award, Westcherster's Choice Best Book, CCBC Best Books selection (Walking on Air); and a Golden Kite Honor, Booksense Top Ten (The Life History of a Star). Her newest book, The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes, is a Jr. Library Guild selection.

She loves to hear from readers!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, November 27, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hiroshima Dreams (Hardcover)

I just finished HIROSHIMA DREAMS by Kelly Easton and I want everybody to know what a good book it was. It's a story of growing up. The story is told beautifully, rich imagery woven throughout the pages. It was very easy to picture this family going through the motions of daily life.

The book starts off when the grandmother, Obaachan, arrives from Japan when Lin is in kindergarten. The first time they meet, Ochaaban tells a koan. If you are like me then you learn that a koan is used for meditation and enlightening a being's mind. When Lin makes a wise comment in regards to it, Obaachan whispers to her, "I knew I was right about you."

In the beginning, life with Obaachan is not easy. There is an adjustment phase for everyone involved. Lin lost her bedroom to her grandmother and is forced to share with her big sister, Sally. Sally is being Sally, a typical big sister who has to make sure Lin stays in her place as the younger one. Lin's mom also has to adjust as her relationship with her mother is somewhat strained. It takes Obaachan two weeks to come out of her room and when she does, she announces that she is ready to be "American."

I wish I had a relationship with my grandmother as Lin had with hers. She has an opportunity of a lifetime, learning the ways of a generation past. Lin has always had the knack to be able to tell the future, and this is something she shares with her grandmother. Her grandmother teaches her to develop her gift through meditation and Lin constantly tests the strengths and limitations of what she can do. For Lin, it's more than knowing what the weather will be like the next day and if the boy you like will call. The education Lin got from Obaachan shapes her as a person observable as she grows into a young woman.

Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, February 10, 2008

By 

Padma Venkatraman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hiroshima Dreams (Hardcover)

I was astounded by the author's ability to bring to life Japanese and Buddhist elements, despite never having traveled to Japan herself. This is a beautiful book. If you enjoy this, read her The Life History of a Star .

4.0 out of 5 stars I liked the author's style of writing, October 24, 2010

By 

M. Sarkar - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hiroshima Dreams (Hardcover)

....which is pretty subjective, I guess. Nevertheless, I bought this to give as a gift.