The Blossom and the Firefly

By Sherri L. Smith

From the award-winning author of Flygirl comes this powerful WWII romance between two Japanese teens caught in the cogs of an unwinnable war, perfect for fans of Salt to the Sea, Lovely War, and Code Name Verity.

Japan 1945. Taro is a talented violinist and a kamikaze pilot in the days before his first and only mission. He believes he is ready to die for his country . . . until he meets Hana. Hana hasn't been the same since the day she was buried alive in a collapsed trench during a bomb raid. She wonders if it would have been better to have died that day . . . until she meets Taro.

A song will bring them together. The war will tear them apart. Is it possible to live an entire lifetime in eight short days?

Sherri L. Smith has been called "an author with astonishing range" and "a stellar storyteller" by E. Lockhart, the New York Times-bestselling author of We Were Liars, and "a truly talented writer" by Jacqueline Woodson, the National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming. Here, with achingly beautiful prose, Smith weaves a tale of love in the face of death, of hope in the face of tragedy, set against a backdrop of the waning days of the Pacific War.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Feb 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781524737917

Sherri L. Smith

Sherri L. Smith (www.sherrilsmith.com) has written several novels for young adults. Flygirl, her first novel with Putnam, won the California Book Award, was a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, and made it onto 15 State Award Lists.  Sherri lives in Los Angeles, California. 

Reviews for The Blossom and the Firefly

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The war is almost over for Japan, but in 1945 young pilots were still expected to sacrifice their lives by flying planes with bombs into American ships. To send off the young men with honor, teenage girls were called on the make their departure a celebration of their sacrifice, knowing full well that there would be no return for them. This touching novel follows the individual stories of Hana and Taro and their commitment to give their all for the sake of Japan's victory. When their lives intersect, Hana hears Taro playing his violin prior to his ultimate flight, and the two of them recognize kindred spirits in their appreciation of music. The ultimate power of honor and sacrifice in Japanese culture is made very real, if unimaginable, for Western readers.. The resolution of the story is perhaps not believable, but very satisfying. The authors notes and bibliography at the end of the book will lead interested readers to more of the background.

[thepageladies · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book Club Review…..The Blossom and the Firefly
by Sherri L. Smith

A song will bring them together. The war will tear them apart.

1945 Japan
Taro is a talented violinist and a kamikaze pilot in the days before his first and only mission.

Hana hasn't been the same since the day she was buried alive in a collapsed trench during a bomb raid.

Taro is ready to die for qhis country. Hana wonders if it would have been better to die that day. That is until they meet each other.

Is it possible to live an entire lifetime in eight short days?

The Blossom and the Firefly was a stunning story! It's a story about two people finding love and its a sad story but also moving about life in Japan during WWII. We are always interested in books that can teach us something as well as entertain us so we loved the historical facts. A lot of the realities were hard to take at times but there's a war going on so it was expected. The story switches between Taro and Hana's perspectives so you get to see two sides of the story and what each of them dealt with and felt. Could you imagine being in Hana's shoe having to take care of the kamikaze pilots and say goodbye to them knowing that they will more than likely die? This is by no means a fast and easy read. It's emotional and the pace moves well with the story but it's not a fast pace. It was a compelling, heartbreaking and absolutely wonderful to read story!

Thank you The Book Club Cookbook. Penguin Teen and Sherri L. Smith for sharing this amazing story with us!

[fromthecomfychair · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book made me think of the Kamikaze pilots of WWII as human beings, in fact, very young human beings. It gave me an idea of what life might have been like for them as they faced their destiny, and also for the people who took care of them, especially the high school girls enlisted to help them prepare for their journey. Those are my kudos for the book, which I have to say was not bought by any of the libraries in my network until I requested it in ebook form. It took me awhile to understand the structure of the story. The time was mixed up between Hana's and Taro's stories. Finally I figured it out, but it was disconcerting. I think it would have been a better book if the author had not chosen a feel good ending over a more realistic one, but then this is young adult fiction.