1001 Cranes, by Naomi Hirahara

1001 Cranes, by Naomi Hirahara, is a tale about 12-year-old Angela Kato and her parent's divorce. Her parents ship her off to her grandparent's house in Gardena, a town near Los Angeles, to work on her grandparent's 1001 cranes display while they cope with their problems. At first, her disgust toward Los Angeles' environment prevents her from making friends in the neighborhood, but she comes to enjoy her stay and is able to live above troubles at hand.

This wasn't my favorite. It was as if the author was trying to take a boring story and spice up the moments to make it more interesting, but none of it worked. It does have a moral, and you can see how it gets there, but some of the side details leave you thinking "What?". I do like how this book has incorporated Japanese culture, and it makes the story more interesting. This book only gets two-and-a-half stars from me.

-Reviewed by anonymous, grade 9.