Nobody Knows
Gr 6-9-Based on a true story and made into a film by Hirokazu Kore-Eda, this novelization is powerful and disturbing. Twelve-year-old Akira Fukushima must care for his three younger siblings after being abandoned by their irresponsible mother in their Tokyo apartment. Supplied, although infrequently, with money in the mail from her, Akira must budget, cook, and shop, all while keeping his siblings hidden in their home/prison. The last admonishment given by their mother was to stay out of sight and make no noise. (The landlord does not allow children in the building.) Through haunting prose, Tanaka takes readers inside the head of young Akira as he struggles to maintain the lives of the family. Without food, electricity, heat, or water, tragedy strikes. In a deeply moving, starkly realistic ending, readers are left wondering, How could this happen? The book provides no answers. For mature readers, this story might lend itself to a discussion of what the children could have done to get help. An additional discussion could center on the social responsibility of the community in which the children lived.-D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OHα(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.