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School Library Journal
Reviewed on August 1, 2011 | Grades 5-up
Gr 4–6—Larson brings her talent for historical fiction to this story of one of the 58 handcrafted, child-size dolls Japan presented to the United States in 1927 as a goodwill gesture. Fans of doll stories will be enchanted by the way Miss Kanagawa changes the lives of five children of varying circumstances over a span of decades and learns to feel love despite herself. The theme of being kind to others could come across as didactic in less-skilled hands than Larson's, but the initial contrast between the doll's mo...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Horn Book Guide
Reviewed on January 1, 2011
Miss Kanagawa is one of fifty-eight dolls sent to the United States from Japan as an Ambassador of Friendship. Her purp...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Junior Library Guild
Reviewed on September 1, 2011
Kirby Larson uses the traveling exhibition of a Japanese doll as the foundation for her poignant novel, introducing main characters in various places and time periods, from 1920s New York City to present-day Seattle. Each affecting story br...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
