12-year-old Nozomi was born and raised in Hiroshima, where the atomic bomb was dropped, but she had never thought too much about it. Then the art club she belongs to at school decides to do a Culture Festival project on the theme of asking adults close to them about the day they were bombed. One man’s girlfriend died… One woman’s son died… Nozomi listens to the brutal stories of each person who lost someone precious to them. These stories are not portrayed in a horrifying way, but conveyed with a quiet prayer for peace. The final lantern floating ceremony scene, colorful and beautiful, resonates in the hearts of readers.

This book was translated into English and published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers in March 2021 under the title Soul Lanterns (tr. Emily Balistrieri) and was selected as one of the Best Books 2021 by School Library Journal in the United States.