Jessica's Connection #2

Anne's life ends before she has any chance to live her hopeful dreams about life after the war. This is a fact that most readers of the diary know prior to reading the book. In the novel Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata, the young protagonist's older sister eventually dies from fatal sickness. It is clear that death will take her, even from the start of this bittersweet novel. On the back of the book where there is some information about the novel, her death is partially implied. It is sad to read about her talking and thinking about her furture life when you know that she will not have one. As I read about Anne's fantasies of the future, I feel the same sadness I felt when I read Kira-Kira. Both girls are characters that you can really come to love (especially Anne, who was a real person who wrote from a real girl's perspective), and it is very sad to know that they will die as teens in the end.