Awards

2023 Freeman Book Award Winners

Children’s Literature

My Grandfather’s Song

Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huỳnh Kim Liên
(Make Me a World)

Masked Hero: How Wu Lien-Teh Invented the Mask That Ended an Epidemic

Shan Woo Liu and Kaili Liu Gormley; illustrated by Lisa Wee
(MIT Kids Press)

Maria Orosa Freedom Fighter: Scientist and Inventor from the Philippines

Norma Olizon-Chikiamco; illustrated by Mark Salvatu
(Tuttle Publishing)

Boys Don’t Fry

Kimberly Lee; illustrated by Charlene Chua
(Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group)

Kozo the Sparrow

Allen Say
(Clarion Books)

Mai and the Missing Melon

Sonoko Sakai; illustrated by Keiko Brodeur
(Bala Kids)

Yukie’s Island: My Family’s World War II Story

Yukie Kimura, Kōdo Kimura and Steve Sheinkin; illustrated by Kōdo Kimura
(Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group)

Young Adult / Middle School Literature

The Cricket War

Thọ Phạm and Sandra McTavish
(Kids Can Press)

Chinese Menu: The History, Myths and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods

Grace Lin
(Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers)

Mèo and Bé

Doan Phuong Nguyen; illustrated by Jesse White
(Tu Books)

In the Tunnel

Julie Lee
(Holiday House)

Young Adult / High School Literature

An Echo in the City

K. X. Song
(Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers)

Catfish Rolling

Clara Kumagai
(Amulet Books)

My Father, the Panda Killer

Jamie Jo Hoang
(Crown Books for Young Readers)

A Little Boy on Ramree Island: A True Story about Growing up on an Island in the Bay of Bengal

Aung Z. Mong and Jill Brock Mong
(Self-published)

Young Adult / Middle & High School Graphic Novels

The Boy from Clearwater: Book 1

Yu Pei-Yun; illustrated by Zhou Jian-Xin; translated by Lin King
(Levine Querido)

Lost in Taiwan

Mark Crilley
(LBInk/Little, Brown and Company)

Saving H’Non: Chang and the Elephant

Trang Nguyen and Jeet Zdung; iIllustrated by Jeet Zdung
(Dial Books)

Okinawa

Susumu Higa; edited by Andrew Woodrow-Butcher and Christopher Woodrow-Butcher; translated by Jocelyne Allen
(Fantagraphics Books)

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Explore Award Winners by Age Group

Children’s Young Adult / Middle Young Adult / High YA Graphic Novels
About the awards

Honoring East And Southeast Asian Titles for Children and Young Adults

National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA), the Committee on Teaching about Asia (CTA) of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), and Asia for Educators (AFE) at Columbia University sponsor the annual Freeman Book Awards for new young adult and children’s literature. The awards recognize quality books for children and young adults that contribute meaningfully to an understanding of East and Southeast Asia. Awards are given in two categories: Children’s and Young Adult on the several countries of East and Southeast Asia.

Learn More Submission Guidelines