Genre: Historical fiction
Key Stage: Year 9+
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Last Paper Crane by Kerry Drewery (2020)
Plot: The Last Paper Crane tells the tale of Ichiro in 1945 when an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Mizuki, a young girl, who is Ichiro’s granddaughter, tries to find out the truth of her grandfather’s devastating memories that are clearly haunting him. This book talks about Ichiro’s past as he witnessed the destruction of the bomb and its present effect on him.
Positives: I flew through this book very quickly because it was so captivating from the way the book itself was structured to the characters emotions and how they dealt with them. I loved the way Drewery wrote in verse and prose to take the reader on a heart-wrenching journey and the many quotes scattered about the novel that made me sit still, stare at the wall, and absorb what I just read. Ichiro’s guilt is so raw, it definitely tugged on my heart strings. I also appreciated the tutorial on how to fold a paper crane at the end of the book.
Negatives: This was a super easy and fast read that even though it made me emotional, I didn’t fully connect with them, but just their story. I didn’t exactly dislike anything about this book, however I found it went by too fast for me to enjoy it as I would a 5 star book. Though, I still loved it and would recommend to people who want a novel they can read in one sitting and are looking for a good cry.
Reviewer: Rose, Year 9