Freeman Book Award 2017 The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCT Asia), The Committee on Teaching about Asia (CTA), The Association for Asian Studies (AAS), and Asia for Educators (AFE) at Columbia University
Writers’ League of Texas Book Award 2016 Middle Grade / Young Adult
Writers’ League of Texas 2013 middle grade novel manuscript award
The story takes place in Japan in 2001. Eleven-year-old Ema lives on the east side of Tokyo but must go to west Tokyo with her mom to her Japanese grandmother’s house because of her mother’s difficult pregnancy. She usually spends her summer holiday in California with her American grandparents and hasn’t spent much time (except the new year’s holiday) with her Japanese grandparents. Her Japanese grandmother, Obaachan, assumes that she needs instruction in Japanese manners. Ema feels she and her mother are bullied by Obaachan. Ema tries to keep her Mom calm. When Ema attends a school in Obaachan’s neighborhood temporarily, she is bullied by a classmate. Ema hopes to find peace in her relationships at home, with the bully at school, and within herself.
Historical events that Japan and the United States have shared are woven through the story as well as details from our family life and my children’s Japanese public school experience. Big Sis was in elementary school and Little Brother was in kindergarten in 2001. I used their school memos, notebooks, projects, etc. as reference as well as our memories and old photos. I followed current events, NASA, and weather of 2001. I used our neighborhood as the setting and used old photos to document the seasonal changes (maple and gingko changes and bird sightings vary across Japan.)
See my author’s website for more information, background, and reviews of the book.