The Blossom and the Firefly

This absorbing historical novel, set in Japan during eight days in 1945, thrusts two teens in the midst of war into a charged romance. The alternating narration follows the first-person account of 15-year-old Hana, a former student who serves as a maid to pilots on the military training base in her hometown of Chiran, and—via a third-person point of view—16-year-old violin virtuoso turned air cadet Taro, who trains as a kamikaze pilot. Flashbacks offer insight into prewar Japan, the war’s origins, and the upbringing of both main characters. Each protagonist’s impending sense of mortality heightens the atmosphere. Hana, who was recently buried for an hour after a bombing, struggles with posttraumatic feelings of detachment; Taro stifles anxiety as he prepares to fly his plane into a target, and then must deal with isolation and shame after a missed attempt. The characters notice each other when Hana hears Taro play his violin, and Smith (Pasadena) capably sketches their attraction and courtship. Though the end feels a bit tidy, the novel—rich with Japanese cultural details (kimono, gifts of salted plums) and a sense of place—ably portrays the stakes of war and love. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kirby Kim, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Feb.)