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The Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature is given each year to "honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit."
It's awarded by a committee of Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association to an Asian/Pacific American author and/or illustrator for a work related to A/PA experiences and cultures, and was established in 2001.
- Adult Fiction
- Adult Nonfiction (added 2007)
- Children’s Literature (was Youth award until 2010)
- Young Adult Literature (was Youth award until 2010)
- Picture Books
This is a guide for teachers, librarians, and others who work with older elementary and middle school children.
image credit: APALA
Children's literature Award winners (gr 5-8)
Children's literature Award winners (gr 5-8)
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
2018-2019 award winner
Mia Tang doesn't live in a house like most fifth graders. She lives in a motel. Not only that, she helps run the motel. She's proud of her work, even when she makes mistakes. Even though the motel is owned by mean Mr. Yao, whose son Jason is in her class and who threatens her family's security every time he comes around. Mia's strong and smart, no matter what anyone says about her English, and she uses her writing skills to stand up for other people. Even against Mr. Yao. When an opportunity comes up to help her parents and their extended immigrant network, Mia knows just what to do.
image credit: Front Desk website
Resources
Resources
Teacher resources from Kelly Yang (discussion guides, writing prompts, activities)
Immigration lesson plans from Scholastic. These compare historical immigration stories to contemporary, and would make a good unit paired with another APALA award winner, Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus.
Letter generator from Read, Write, Think. Have students write letters about something they want to change, or in support of someone else.
Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly
Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly
2016-2017 award winner
Like her mother used to, Sol uses fairy tales to escape. Now that she and her little sister Ming are stuck in Louisiana with their evil stepmother after their father goes back to the Philippines, she needs her imagination more than ever. But she's worried Ming might be taking imagination too far, that she believes in their mythical Auntie Jove and is looking for rescue where it'll never come. Instead, they learn to look to friendships and trusted adults for the safety and love they need -- and each other.
A good starting point for discussions of bullying, acceptance, grief, friendship, and where to turn when things are too much for children to handle on their own.
image credit: HarperCollins
Resources
Resources
Philippines country information from National Geographic.
Fairy tale lesson plans from We Are Teachers.
Filipino folk tales from World of Tales (it's not the prettiest site, but has a lot of stories).
Postcard maker from Adobe Spark. Prompt students to think about postcards Auntie Jove might send, or postcards they could send to a friend about their own lives.
Teaching guide from HarperCollins.
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
2010-2011 award winner
The story of Manjirō, one of the first Japanese people to come to the United States. Stranded as a 14-year-old fisherman, Manjirō was rescued by a whaling ship in the 1840s, and adopted by the ship's captain before returning to Japan as a young adult.
The book is a good companion to the many newer novels of contemporary immigration to the United States. Students can compare and contrast the treatment of immigrants in different eras, and a discussion of the centering of a nation in its people's imagination could be especially fruitful (in the book, Manjirō laughs to discover Americans think he's not as good as they are because he's Japanese, when Japanese think the same about Americans).
image credit: Margi Preus website
Resources
Resources
Port of Entry lesson from the Library of Congress. Suggest modifying to include primary sources from Manjirō himself (ex: his drawings, which are included in the book). Best for older students.
Map skills lesson plans from National Endowment for the Arts.
"Life aboard a whaling ship" from the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Manjirō spent time in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Immigration lesson plans from Scholastic. These compare historical immigration stories to contemporary, and would make a good unit paired with another APALA award winner, Front Desk by Kelly Yang.
Visible Thinking Routine from Lisa Wattai and Jennifer Windeler, via Margi Preus
image credit: Scholastic
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
2005-2006 award winner
When Katie's parents take jobs in the poultry industry, moving her family from Iowa to Georgia in the 1950s, she's unprepared for the changes she faces as a Japanese-American in the South. She's even more unprepared for her older sister Lynn's terrible illness and the changes the family faces.
Kadohota's novel won the Newbery award as well as the APALA award, and examines Japanese culture, assimilation pressures, poverty, family, loss, and labor union history.
Resources
Resources
Labor history lesson plans from PBS. Best for older students.
Family history lesson plans from Ancestry, including interview questions.
Dealing with grief in the classroom from Edutopia (a resource for teachers).
Learn more about the award at the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association website
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