This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following unbiased and impartial review:
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5*
This is a beautiful and heartbreaking short story from a Japanese author that offers a deeper insight into the life after the bombing of Hiroshima, of those left behind. Shows the loss, the neverending grief, the constant wait for a loved one that will never come back. It was one of the darkest days in human history that mustn't be repeated. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Soul Lanterns is a middlegrade novel set in the 1970s that talks about the effects the bombing of Hiroshima had on the people of the local community, and how it left scars so deep that even a quarter of a century down the line, people still felt the heat of the fire from the flash on their skin.

The story follows three children Nozomi, Kozo and Shun, who decide to center the art project for their middle-school's art festival around the events of the day of the Hiroshima bombing. They reach out to members of their families and also close members of their community they notice a kind of hollowness in and begin collecting the stories of those lost and those left behind to relay in the form of art.

I simply adored this book. As heartbreaking as it was to have to read about so much loss and grief, it was also heartwarming to see how the survivors of the bombing and their descendants took their grief and turned it into something beautiful, working towards making the world a safer place for their children.

Also, the fact that this story is told from the perspective of children who weren't born when the bombing happened was actually something that made this book that much more powerful. It showed how deep the damage it wrought ran and how those born in the aftermath of the war were marked by it as well.

I don't really know what else to say except that I think this can be a really impactful book for children! As important as it is to teach them about the bigger picture when it comes to history, they also need to know the smaller stories associated with tragedy of this kind. And a fictionalized account of those stories is not a perfect option, but it's definitely a place to start, to get them interested.

The only reason I'm rating this book a 4 instead of a 5 is that I felt like some of the more beautiful parts of the writing got lost in translation? There was a flow to it, but it wasn't perfect, and that took me out of the book in places. Overall, this is a really short, really powerful narrative and I totally recommend you check it out!

"The world is made up of little stories. Those modest daily lives, those lives that may seem insignificant, they give the world shape — that's what I believe."

I received this book from the publisher through SLJ's Middle Grade Magic event. I really enjoyed this work. Hiroshima, though unquestionably one of the most tragic events in history, is one I have read little about. I loved that this was framed in a way that told of what happened as it related to those who were left behind.

The story begins in 1970, 25 years after the US dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Nozomi notices that her mother always releases a white lantern with no name during the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Lantern Ceremony. She wonders about this, and when the time comes for her and her schoolmates to put on the annual art festival, they decide on the theme “Hiroshima: Before and After.” They interview survivors of the bombing and document their stories through art. During the interviews, they learn heartbreaking stories that have defined their loved ones’ lives, and theirs.

What a sobering way to mark time--before and after the deployment of a nuclear bomb. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Lantern Ceremony and Peace Message Lantern Floating Ceremony still takes place every August 6. The visual is stunning, its reason is gut-wrenching. The book was originally published in Japanese. The English translation was released this week. I have worked hard over the last few years to diversify my libraries because books build bridges of understanding and empathy. To say we in the US need this now is an understatement.

Thank you PRH International for the review copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki is a short yet powerful story about the healing journey of a community over the aftermath of a life-changing tragedy. Although the target audience seemed to gear toward younger ones, adults can also enjoy this novel.

The story happened twenty-five years after the bombing of Hiroshima. It followed Nozomi, a twelve-year-old girl living in the city of Hiroshima. Every year, her family joined the lantern-floating ceremony to honor the people lost in the bombing. Although she had a little idea about the importance of this ceremony, she couldn't quite grasp what it really meant to people, especially with her loved ones. Together with her two friends, they began to delve into the past by asking questions and stories that happened before the bombing.

I knew that when I picked up this book, it dealt with some pretty heavy stuff. However, it didn't help prepare me to get quite emotional while reading the story. It had different stories of people's loss and regrets, and how these people carried these burdens in their lives. Hearing their story was just heart wrenching. I couldn't imagine the hurt they felt. It reminded me once again that life is unpredictable and everything can change in just a blink of an eye. We should start not taking things for granted, and we must treasure every moment we spend with our loved ones. Despite that, these heavy topics were handled beautifully and with hope.

Learning that the author is born in Hiroshima and a second-generation atomic bomb survivor made this reading experience more real and special. This novel provided a clear and heartfelt perspective of how the bombing affected people's lives that couldn't be found in any history books.

Overall, Soul Lanterns is short, fast-paced novel that is definitely worth the read.

5/5 stars!

This thought provoking and moving tale, written in the narrative of middle school children, brings to light the idea that many children in the younger generation know about the bombing or Hiroshima, but don't fully understand what was lost, or left behind. Kuzki does an excellent job of giving a voice to the people lost during this time, in such a way that a middle school child could understand it. The use of the different characters "telling" the stories that they hear from families and friends allows the reader to see different viewpoints of this important topic. The characters are all well developed and when you finish, the book leaves you wanting more.

This was a moving middle grade story that will teach kids (or anyone who will read it) in a beautiful way about a tragic part of history. The fact that the author is actually born in Hiroshima and is a second-generation atomic bomb survivor makes it even more special to read. I have to admit I wasn’t that much of a fan of the writing somehow, but I can’t really place why. It could be because it’s translated, but I am not too sure about that.

What a heart-wrenching, beautiful narrative! The horrid events that occurred in Hiroshima, along with the fallout, are usually only experienced through a short section in a Social Studies textbook. Soul Lanterns provides a look at the memories of people who were alive during the bombing of Hiroshima, as well how kids are experiencing the aftermath. Every one had their own story or tragedy, and seeing in through the series of interviews for the art exhibition of kids was really moving. I would love to add this to my curriculum!

A well told story about how a younger generation can help start to heal the pain of previous generations & how that pain still resonates today.

Such a powerful and beautiful way to explore such a life altering event. Going on the journey with Nozomi and her friends to discover the stories of the bombing of Hiroshima and how it effected the lives of the survivors was impactful. The idea of an art show with the theme "Hiroshima Then and Now" was a great way to have students gather stories of the past. The many stories they heard and the family secrets uncovered definitely put into perspective the story of a healing city after such a tragedy.
This is a book I would recommend for middle school classrooms. Powerful lessons about family, love, and grief.

I received a temporary digital advanced copy of Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki from NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and the author in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty-five years after the bombing of Hiroshima, twelve-year-old Nozomi and her two friends start a schoolwide art project on Hiroshima then and now. They have learned about the bombing every year in school; however, Nozomi and her friends know very little about their family's stories. They begin to ask about the family members lost in the flash after realizing how little they know.

Soul Lanterns is an amazing novel for middle schoolers that provides the Japanese perspective of Hiroshima post WWII. The novel was comprehensive, and although the material was extremely sad, it wasn't overwhelmingly so. There is a hopeful message throughout the novel and encourages students to not be bystanders. I highly recommend Soul Lanterns to any student and to any teacher interested in supplementing their WWII unit with a Japanese perspective.

This was a fantastic book and gave me an insight into the impact of the atomic bomb that I had not had before. I think that it is an amazing book for all American's and really anyone to read and understand the depth of impact that war has on everyone within a country and around the world. The connections made in the story were so thoughtful beautiful. I really enjoyed how the author include so many different stories and showed the humanity of all the people that were lost that day. It is must read!

I really enjoyed Soul Lanterns! I enjoy both historical fiction and middle grade, so this was the perfect mix. As an American, I have rarely thought of the individual lives destroyed by the A-bomb that we dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. I was moved by both the individual stories of loss, and by the lantern ceremony that takes place on the river. I think it is beautiful.
Given that this is a translated work, originally written in Japanese, I thought it was very accessible. Nozomi and her friends were regularly asking questions, and that helped the reader to understand the impact of the actual event and the intervening 25 years.
If you are looking for an accessible text about the impact of the A-bomb in Hiroshima, Japan, I highly suggest Soul Lanterns!

Lyrical and engrossing, Soul Laterns will provide young readers a broader perspective of a critical moment in history as well as afford them the chance to have meaningful discussions of history and the necessity of peace. Highly recommended.

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Nozomi lives in the suburbs of Hiroshima in 1970. Every year, she goes with her family to a lantern lighting ceremony on the river that honors the people lost in "the flash", the bombing on August 6th. This year, she sees a woman staring at her. The woman asks how old she is (she's 12), and then how old her mother is. Nozomi knows that her father lost his first wife and two of his sisters, and her mother also lost people. One of the lanterns that her mother lights, however, has no name on it, which makes her curious. A school project on "Hiroshima Then and Now" gets Nozomi and her friends thinking about the people around them who would have lived through the bombing. Nozomi hears a story about her art teacher, Mr. Yoshioka, who lost his girlfriend, and who found only a comb he had given her after the bombing. Shun finds out more about his uncommunicative neighbor, Mrs. Sudo, who lost her husband in the war and her young son in the bombing. Kozo learns about his aunt, Sumi, who was a teacher who tried to save six of her students. The more the students delve into the past, the most they are able to appreciate the horrible human toll that the war took on those around them. Nozomi even finds out about the woman who stared at her during the lantern ceremony, and is able to settle questions about a past relationship that her mother had. Mr. Yoshioka, who is suffering from tuberculosis and spends some time in a sanatorium, helps the students process the different stories they have heard and to understand the role that Japan played in World War II as well as the lingering effects that this history had on the community.
Strengths: This was certainly a fresh and unusual historical perspective, and I love the fact that this was originally published in Japan! Such a window into how a population dealt with a horrific historical event. Setting this book in 1970, when survivors were still plentiful but when the average twelve year old would have felt very removed from the events was excellent. Having three friends at school working on a project, and asking people around them what they remember will resonate with my readers, who are often assigned projects where they have to ask adults about 9/11 or the Challenger Disaster. I very much enjoyed this one.
Weaknesses: There were occasionally phrases in the translation that seemed too modern, but in general, this was an interesting and well done work. I would love to see more books by #ownvoices authors translated for the US middle grade market! There could have been a little more information, for US readers, about how Japan reacted to the bombings with calls for peace.
What I really think: This is an essential purchase for middle school libraries, and a fantastic addition to books about the aftermath of WWII in Japan, such as Dicicco and Sasaki's The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki , Yep's Hiroshima, Stelson,'s Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story, Burkinshaw's The Last Cherry Blossom, Smith,'s The Blossom and the Firefly , Napoli's In a Flash and Kadohata's A Place to Belong.

"Soul Lanterns" by Shaw Kuzki
Release Date: 3.16.2021

Translated from Japanese, "Soul Lanterns" focuses on Nozomi, a 12 year old, lives in Hiroshima. Every year on August 6th, Nozomi and her family attend the lantern-floating ceremony to honor those lost in the bombing.

Each red and green lantern has a name written on the lantern, representing someone lost in the bombings. This year, Nozomi notices that her mother releases one lantern without a name and asks her mother. After the ceremony, she visits the cemetery with her family. While there, she notices her art teacher visiting a grave.

Nozomi begins researching both stories, learning about the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima and how it still affects the community today. It is truly an amazing day and definitely a great way to spark social issue discussions. What a powerful read!



Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for my review.

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Every year on August 6th Nozomi and her family release red and green paper lanterns into the river in remembrance of family members who died because of the atomic bomb. When Nozomi notices her mother release a white lantern with no name inscribed on it, she becomes determined to uncover the story. Soon after the ceremony, she visits the cemetery with her family.when she notices her beloved art teacher visiting another grave, she wants to learn his story too. As Nozomi delves into the two stories, she learns about the after effects of the atomic bomb that still persist today.

I will be happy to recommend this book to my middle school students. I will suggest the sixth graders read this book for their social issues book club in LA classes. I can envision rich discussions.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki was a haunting and powerful book that will stick with me for a long time. Translated from Japanese, it tells the story of twelve-year-old Nozomi, who lives in Hiroshima 25 years after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on it. Every year on the anniversary of the bomb, the community releases paper lanterns with messages of peace or names of deceased loved one into a river. This year, Nozomi notices her mother releasing a lantern with no name and it piques her curiosity. This event, among others, inspire Nozomi and her friends, to delve into the past and ask neighbors and relatives their stories about loved ones lost in the bombing. Despite the intensity of the subject, the topic is handled with lightness and gentleness so it doesn't get too depressing or graphic. I highly recommend this book for grades 4-7.