3 sixth graders in Japan befriend an old man, in hopes of being present when he dies. Very focused on mortality, slow moving. I admit, I found it deeply boring -- literary fiction for kids, probably of more interest to adults. Also, the treatment of the girlfriend at the fireworks is revolting. I suppose that is a reflection of the 1990s publication date, but it just didn't do much for me.
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The Friends is a Japanese book that was translated into English. It is about 3 friends who are in "cram school" together. They go to this school in the summer so they pass the exam to get into a good junior high. They decide that they need to see a dead person and begin to spy on an old man thinking that he will drop dead at any second. The boys get to know the old man and he becomes a father figure to them all.
This would be a good book to read before the elementary to middle school transition. It shows the universal elements for this age - bullies, fear of the unknown, sports -- as well as some things unique to the Japanese culture. For example, when one of the friends fails his exam, he goes to work for his parents fish shop instead of continuing with his education. ( )

Kiyama and his two best friends, Yamashita and Kawabe, are morbidly fascinated with death after Yamashita's grandmother dies. Learning that there is an old man who lives alone in a little dump of a house nearby, and is not expected to live much longer, they decide to spy on him regularly so that when he does die, they can see it. This morbid idea leads the three boys to learn a great many things. A little about death, but a lot about life.
This is a Japanese novel translated into English. There are a few little shocks - just things that would feel out of place in a middle grade novel written in the West, including the very premise of the novel... three sixth grade boys spying on a lonely old man and waiting for him to die. But it is a sympathetic and very human tale in the end. ( )

Three twelve-year-old Japanese boys become curious about death and dead people after the death of one of their grandmothers. So they decide to spy on an old man who they believe is going to die soon. However, things don’t work out as the boys expected as they begin to make friends with the old man and they find themselves learning about life and friendship as well as death. This book treats the subject of death and children’s curiosity about it quite respectfully. The story also gives a glimpse into the life of a Japanese student, busy with the demands of school, cram school, sports, family life, and worry about the future. The characters are all subtly established and the boys grow up quite a bit throughout the book. This book, its themes, and the characters would probably resonate best with kids in fourth through seventh grade. This book is translated from the original Japanese and is the winner of the 1997 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for translated children’s books. ( )

Curious about death, three sixth-grade boys decide to spy on an old man waiting for him to die, but they end up becoming his friends. ( )