The Last Cherry Blossom

by Kathleen Burkinshaw

Overview

Following the seventieth anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, this is a new, very personal story to join Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.

Yuriko was happy growing up in Hiroshima when it was just her and Papa. But her aunt Kimiko and her cousin Genji are living with them now, and the family is only getting bigger with talk of a double marriage! And while things are changing at home, the world beyond their doors is even more unpredictable. World War II is coming to an end, and since the Japanese newspapers don’t report lost battles, the Japanese people are not entirely certain of where Japan stands. Yuriko is used to the sirens and the air-raid drills, but things start to feel more real when the neighbors who have left to fight stop coming home. When the bombs hit Hiroshima, it’s through Yuriko’s twelve-year-old eyes that we witness the devastation and horror.

This is a story that offers young readers insight into how children lived during the war, while also introducing them to Japanese culture. Based loosely on author Kathleen Burkinshaw’s mother’s firsthand experience surviving the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, The Last Cherry Blossom hopes to warn readers of the immense damage nuclear war can bring, while reminding them that the “enemy” in any war is often not so different from ourselves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781634506939
Publisher:	Sky Pony Press
Publication date:	08/02/2016
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	138,124
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	11 - 13 Years

About the Author

Kathleen Burkinshaw wrote The Last Cherry Blossom based on her own mother’s story of growing up in Hiroshima during World War II. She was twelve years old when the bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945. Kathleen lives with her husband and daughter in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

05/23/2016
This debut novel, set in Hiroshima during WWII and inspired by Burkinshaw’s mother’s childhood, sets the stage for tragedy. Seventh-grader Yuriko lives with her widowed newspaper magnate Papa, her Aunt Kimiko, and her annoying five-year-old cousin, Genji. Burkinshaw uses newspaper headlines, radio messages, and official propaganda to introduce each chapter, placing events in historical context and sometimes offering ironic contrasts between the reality of war and the official party line. War colors all aspects of the lives of Yuriko and her classmates as they practice wielding bamboo spears in gym class, fighter planes fly overhead, and Yuriko’s best friend hides a contraband jazz record after Western products are banned. Just as Yuriko’s Papa takes a new wife and her aunt remarries, she learns a series of family secrets. In some cases the incorporation of historical and cultural information into Yuriko’s narration can feel artificial (“I’m not sure why Japan annexed Korea”), but the eventual bombing of Hiroshima proves nightmarishly horrifying, and readers will readily empathize with Yuriko’s losses and will to survive. Ages 11–13. Agent: Anna Olswanger, Olswanger Literary. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

**One of Book Riot 's 30 Fascinating Historical Fiction Books for Middle School Readers!**

"Set in the waning days of World War II Hiroshima, this is an extraordinary story with its universal themes of family, life, and love. Young readers will be entranced with the irrepressible Yuriko and her Japanese traditions, and grieve with her when her childhood is torn apart by the unthinkable. The Last Cherry Blossom shows that wherever they are, all children are the victims of war." —Sandra Dallas, New York Times bestselling author of Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Skies

"This moving story of a young girl who survives the atomic bombing of Hiroshima is a compelling testament to the enduring power of the human spirit." —Leza Lowitz, author of Up From the Sea

"A fascinating look at World War II and its tragic conclusion from the point of view of a Japanese girl as she struggles to come to terms with love, loss, and what it means to honor one's heritage and family." —Randall Platt, author of Incommunicado

" The Last Cherry Blossom is even more than a gripping story about the horrors of war. It also illustrates the emotional trauma caused by family secrets and lies, the universality of adolescent anxiety, and the sustaining power of friendship—all in a really good read." —Elaine Wolf, author of Camp

"Past and future come into unbearable collision in this spellbinding evocation of Japan during the final years of World War Two, which is told through the eyes of an observant twelve-year-old growing up in Hiroshima. A heartbreaking exploration of tradition, family ties and the utter horror of nuclear war, The Last Cherry Blossom is a timely reminder that we forget the reality of total warfare at our peril." —Lydia Syson, author of That Burning Summer

"Kathleen Burkinshaw’s graceful, clean style is a joy to read, and this story, a beautiful tribute to the life of her mother, is one that every young person should read." —Lisa Williams Kline, author of Eleanor Hill , winner of the North Carolina Juvenile Literature Award

“Told with reverence and authenticity, Yuriko's journey is inspired by the author's mother's real-life experiences growing up in Hiroshima and surviving that tragic day on Aug. 6, 1945. Tragedy and hope collide in this promising middle-grade debut.” –Kirkus Reviews

“The eventual bombing of Hiroshima proves nightmarishly horrifying, and readers will readily empathize with Yuriko’s losses and will to survive.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

08/01/2016
Gr 7 Up—Offering a glimpse at World War II Japan, this work shows a side of the war not often seen. The story follows Yuriko, a young girl whose world has been turned upside down by the changing culture in Japan. She faces challenges that will be familiar to many middle school students—homework and a new stepmother—as well as some that will be unfamiliar: bombing drills at school and cultural edicts from the government. Yuriko's characterization and reactions to the events feel uneven at times. She seems to take bombings and huge cultural shifts in stride but then is thrown off-balance by her aunt's mean attitude. Her often catty observations about others will be off-putting to more sensitive readers. This historical fiction tale mentions specific events from World War II that some teens may be unaware of. This offers insight into an untold perspective but also may be confusing, since the events are mentioned in passing and without much context. VERDICT Recommended for libraries with large collections of war fiction that want to diversify their offerings.—Alexandra Patterson, Mercersburg Academy Library, PA

School Library Journal

2016-05-14
Japanese native Yuriko Ishikawa lives in Hiroshima with Papa, Aunt Kimiko, and annoying cousin Genji during the turmoil of World War II in Burkinshaw's historical novel. War seeps its way into every aspect of Yuriko's life. Constant air-raid sirens and drills interrupt her daydreams, and the drone of "B-sans" (American B-29s) flying overhead fills her ears. She's clumsy with exercises using bamboo spears as weapons, and when she and her best friend, Machiko, play jazz on the record player, they must do it in secret because all things American are banned. At home, a double wedding is planned, and new family members—Papa's second wife, Sumiyo-san, and Aunt Kimiko's second husband, Akira-san—move in. Will she ever have time alone with Papa again? Despite the necessity of participating in the war effort, Yuriko and her family do their best with normal activities, such as celebrating Oshagatsu (New Year's) and the Cherry Blossom Festival. When a shocking family secret is revealed, Yuriko is shattered, but nothing can prepare her or her community for the unthinkable devastation about to hit their city. Chapter epigraphs of radio-show transcripts, newspaper headlines, and propaganda posters set the chilling tone. Told with reverence and authenticity, Yuriko's journey is inspired by the author's mother's real-life experiences growing up in Hiroshima and surviving that tragic day on Aug. 6, 1945. Tragedy and hope collide in this promising middle-grade debut. (afterword, bibliography, glossary, statistics about Hiroshima) (Historical fiction. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews

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