Originally published in 1977, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes is a middle-grade historical fiction novel written by Eleanor Coerr based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl living in Hiroshima, Japan, when the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. At age 12, Sadako is diagnosed with leukemia, often called “the atom bomb disease.” Inspired by a Japanese legend, Sadako sets out to fold 1,000 origami cranes, hoping she will be granted a wish and recover from her illness. The novel, which explores themes of war, grief, and hope, has been translated into many languages and is used in peace education programs worldwide. In addition, Sadako’s story has inspired many songs, plays, and films.

This study guide refers to the eBook edition released by Puffin Books in 2004.

Content Warning: The novel contains mentions of warfare, illness, and the deaths of children.

Plot Summary

The story begins on August 6, 1954, nine years to the day since the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Eleven-year-old Sadako attends Peace Day with her parents and her three siblings. She enjoys the event’s festivities but is frightened by photographs of the bomb’s destruction and by the burn scars she sees on survivors. Sadako loves to run and dreams of making the track team when she starts junior high school next year. When her classmates choose her to compete in a relay race, she’s thrilled at this chance to work toward her goal. On Field Day, Sadako’s team wins the big race, but she feels dizzy afterward. The dizzy spells continue over the following months, and Sadako hides them from her friends and family. On New Year’s Eve, she makes a wish that her dizziness will stop.

In February, she collapses while running in the schoolyard and is diagnosed with leukemia, often called “the atom bomb disease.” Sadako’s best friend, Chizuko, visits her in the hospital and tells her about a legend that says anyone who folds 1,000 paper cranes will earn a wish. The legend lifts Sadako’s spirits, and she begins folding cranes in the hope of receiving a miraculous healing. As the months pass, Sadako’s health gradually worsens. She befriends a fellow patient, a nine-year-old boy named Kenji, who also has leukemia. When Kenji passes away, Sadako fears that she will be the next to die. Nurse Yasunaga tries to comfort her by encouraging her to continue folding cranes so she can make her wish. In June, the rainy season makes Sadako feel listless, and she grows weaker. Her mother tries to reawaken her appetite by bringing Sadako her favorite dishes, but Sadako is in too much pain to eat. Still, seeing her loved ones brings her comfort.

In July, Sadako’s doctor allows her to return home for O Bon, a holiday that welcomes departed spirits to visit their loved ones in the land of the living. Her condition worsens again when she returns to the hospital. During one final visit with all of her siblings and her best friend, Sadako’s family gives her an expensive silk kimono. As the weeks pass, she grows weaker, and her thoughts increasingly turn toward death. In her final moments, she finds solace in knowing she will always be a part of her family and in the beautiful paper cranes that fill her hospital room.

The epilogue explains that Sadako Sasaki died on October 25, 1955. Her classmates shared her story with the world by publishing her journal and letters in a book entitled Kokeshi, which Eleanor Coerr consulted when writing her novel. In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a crane was raised in Hiroshima Peace Park. People from all over the world continue to visit the monument and pray for peace.