Eleanor Coerr, author of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, died on November 22, at the age of 88. During a writing career that spanned 25 years, Coerr published several books for children, but is best known for Sadako. First published by Puffin in 1977, the novel is based on the life of Sadako Sasaki, who was a two-year-old resident of Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped on the city during WWII. Sasaki developed leukemia and worked to create 1,000 paper cranes while in the hospital, but died before reaching her goal. Visit School Library Journal for an extensive tribute to Coerr and the impact of Sadako.
