The CALA Best Book Award Subcommittee is pleased to announce the following recipients of the 2025 CALA Best Book Awards. The annual CALA Best Book Award recognizes outstanding books, published in English or Chinese, which exhibit excellence in addressing Chinese Americans, Chinese, people of Chinese origin, Chinese cultural heritage, or China, and written by Chinese authors or authors of Chinese descent. The Award is to raise awareness of these topics and authors in North America.
CALA最佳图书奖评审小组荣幸地宣布2025年度CALA最佳图书奖的获奖者名单。一年一度的CALA最佳图书奖旨在表彰以英文或中文出版的优秀书籍,这些书籍在描写华裔美国人、中国人、华裔人士、中国及中华文化传承等方面表现出色,并由华人或华裔作者创作。该奖项旨在提高北美地区对这些主题和作者的认识和关注度。
The following are the recipients of the Best Book Awards. We congratulate the authors for their outstanding works representing the diversity of the Chinese and Chinese American experience.
以下是本次最佳图书奖的获奖者名单。我们向这些出色作品的作者表示衷心的祝贺,他们的作品展现了华人和华裔经历的多样性。
Children’s Fiction 儿童读物—小说类
Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze, by Maple Lam
Percy Jackson meets Dragonball in the first book of this adorable, funny, and action-packed graphic novel series! Follow along as the legendary Monkey King tries to save the world from a mysterious new threat—and smashes his way through the world of ancient Greek mythology in the process!
ISBN: 9780593524640
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (Penguin Random House)
Children’s Non-fiction 儿童读物—非小说类
Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School, by Traci Huahn, illustrated by Michelle Jing Chan
Meet Mamie Tape, 8-year-old Chinese American changemaker who fought for the right to go to school in San Francisco in the 1880s. Follow Mamie's brave steps and discover the poignant history of her California Supreme Court case Tape v. Hurley.
ISBN: 9780593644027
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House)
Young Adult Fiction 青少年读物—小说类
Chisland / Traveling to Chisland, Book 1; A Curious Encounter, Book 2; The Dreamland, Book 3, by Guoping Ren
Embark on an extraordinary journey with “Chisland”, a fantasy series inspired by the Chinese ancient classic “The Classic of Mountains and Seas”. Perfect for Chinese and American K-12 students, this series transports readers to an imaginative kingdom full of cultural discovery, thrilling adventures, and valuable life lessons.
In Book One, “Traveling to Chisland”, middle and high school students stumble upon the fantastical land of Chisland, igniting an adventure unlike any other. Book Two, “A Curious Encounter”, reveals friendships with intelligent animals and ancient humans as secrets of Chisland begin to unfold. Finally, Book Three, “The Dreamland”, delves deeper into the mystical wonders of Chisland while teaching bravery, compassion, and humanity.
Through engaging storytelling, this series not only celebrates the beauty of Chinese culture and history but also inspires young readers to explore, imagine, and grow.
ISBN: 9781736537220, (Book 1) 9781736537223(Book2),9781736537268 (Book3)
Publisher: Sycamore Books & Entertainment Publishing Inc.
Adult Fiction 成人读物—小说类
The Murder of Mr. Ma, by John Shen Yen Nee & SJ Rozan
For fans of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films, this stunning, swashbuckling series opener by a powerhouse duo of authors is at once comfortingly familiar and tantalizingly new, as two unlikely allies race through the cobbled streets of 1920s London in search of a killer targeting Chinese immigrants.
London, 1924. When shy academic Lao She meets larger-than-life Judge Dee Ren Jie, his quiet life abruptly turns from books and lectures to daring chases and narrow escapes. Dee has come to London to investigate the murder of a man he’d known during World War I when serving with the Chinese Labour Corps. No sooner has Dee interviewed the grieving widow than another dead body turns up. Then another. All stabbed to death with a butterfly sword. Will Dee and Lao be able to connect the threads of the murders—or are they next in line as victims?
Blending traditional gong’an crime fiction with the most iconic aspects of the Sherlock Holmes canon, Dee and Lao’s first adventure is as thrilling and visual as an action film, as imaginative and transportive as a timeless classic
ISBN: 9781641295499
Publisher: Soho Press
Adult Non-fiction 成人读物—非小说类
Connie: A Memoir, by Connie Chung
A New York Times bestseller, Connie is a sharp, witty, and frank memoir by iconic trailblazer and legendary journalist Connie Chung. She pulls no punches in detailing her storied career as the first Asian woman to break into an overwhelmingly white, male-dominated television news industry.
ISBN: 9781538766989
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Hachette)
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CALA Best Book Subcommittee members chose Honor Books that are highly recommended for their literary contribution:
CALA最佳图书奖评审小组同时评选出了2025年度CALA荣誉图书以表彰作者们对文学界的贡献:
Children’s Fiction 儿童读物—小说类
Summer at Squee, by Andrea Wang
ISBN: 9780593111314
Publisher: Kokila; Penguin Young Readers
Children’s Non-fiction 儿童读物—非小说类
JoJo Sing & Learn: Chinese Songs for Baby & Me- Book 1 & Book 2, by Christine Yang Barry / Primary Illustrator: Lukas Miao Zhang / Supporting Illustrators: Fang Liu, Meitong Chen, and Jade Day; Music produced by Felton Pilate
ISBN: 9798990447912; 9798990447929
Publisher: JOJO LLC
Young Adult Fiction 青少年读物—小说类
The Notes, by Catherine Con Morse
ISBN: 9780593711385
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House)
Adult Fiction 成人读物—小说类
作家之梦: 融融小说自选集 (Rong Rong's Short Story Collection), by Rong Rong (Jian Golder)
ISBN: 9798885259941
Publisher: Candlelight Printing LLC
Adult Non-fiction 成人读物—非小说类
Background Artist: The Life and Work of Tyrus Wong, by Karen Fang
ISBN: 9781978838413
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
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Thank you to the CALA community, affiliates and supporters for nominating an array of books representing the Chinese diaspora.
感谢CALA会员、同仁和支持者为此奖项提名了一系列代表华人华裔的图书。
Sincerely,
谨此致以诚挚的问候,
The 2024-2025 CALA Best Book Award Subcommittee
2024-2025年度CALA最佳图书奖评审小组
Sai Deng , Co-Chair 联合主席
Priscilla Nga Ian Pun, Co-Chair 联合主席
Allison Law, Member 组员
Rong Lu, Member 组员
Kai Zhang, Member组员