Freeman Book Award Honor 2020 New York Public Library Best Books of 2020 Sakura Medal Chapter Books 2022 nominee Skipping Stones Honor Book 2021 Young People's Poet Laureate December Pick 2020, Poetry Foundation "Don't miss this loving journey," Naomi Shihab Nye, Young People's Poet Laureate "An essential read...with a message of hope and community." Booklist , starred review  In the spirit of  A Place to Belong , this remarkable novel-in-verse examines the aftershocks of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan in 2011 through the eyes of a young girl who learns that even the smallest kindness can make a difference. March 11, 2011 An earthquake shakes Japan to its core. A tsunami crashes into Japan's coast. Everything changes. In the aftermath of the natural disasters that have struck her country, eleven-year-old Maya is luckier than many. Her family didn't lose their home, their lives, or each other. But Maya still can't help feeling paralyzed with terror, and each aftershock that ripples out in the days that follow makes her fear all over again that her luck could change in an instant. As word of the devastation elsewhere grows increasingly grim--tens of thousands have perished--it all seems so huge, so irreparable. Already flinching at every rumble from the earth, Maya's overcome with a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. How can her country ever recover, and how could anything she does possibly make a difference? Before Maya can extend a hand to others, she must dig deep to find the hidden well of strength in herself in this sweeping, searing novel that shows even small acts can add something greater and help people and communities heal. "An essential read, especially for anxious tweens in these uncertain times, with a message of hope and community." - Booklist , starred review, Best New Books: Week of June 30, 2020, Reviews of the Day, Reviews of the Week "A moving but never overwhelming look at Japan's devastating 2011 earthquake." - Kirkus "A compassionate window into how adults and children cope with calamity." - Publisher's Weekly "The verse format, with fonts and text size ...immerses the reader in Maya's situation...realistic and relatable for young readers experiencing anxiety from world events." - School Library Journal Gr 4-8 Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu’s debut novel Somewhere Among , based on life in a bicultural multi-generational home in Tokyo, won the Freeman Award, SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, Writers’ League of Texas Book Award, and was a Bank Street Best Book of the Year. She still lives in Tokyo, Japan, after raising two children and experiencing the 2011 earthquake and aftershocks. After inheriting the garden work from Great-grandfather and Grandfather, she has spent a lot more time gardening. It keeps her grounded. 1. March 9, 2011 MARCH 9, 2011 not much time between good morning and good-bye out the door early Father goes one way to catch a train east to Shinjuku then later I go another way to walk to school when all’s clear Mother goes to the table to work at her laptop