Cynthia Kadohata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cynthia Kadohata
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Kadohata in 2014-2015
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| Born | July 2, 1956 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Education | University of Southern California (BA) |
| Genre | Children's and Young-adult literature |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | Whiting Award 1991 Newbery Medal 2005 PEN USA 2006 National Book Award 2013 |
| Children | Sammy |
Cynthia Kadohata is an American writer. She was born on July 2, 1956. She is famous for her books for young people.
Her novel Kira-Kira won the important Newbery Medal in 2005. In 2013, she won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature for her book The Thing About Luck.
Contents
About Cynthia Kadohata
Cynthia Kadohata was born in Chicago, Illinois. She went to the University of Southern California. There, she earned a degree in journalism in 1979. She also studied at other universities later on.
Her Start in Writing
Cynthia Kadohata began her writing career by sending short stories to magazines. Her very first story, called "Charlie O.", was published in The New Yorker magazine in 1986. Other stories she wrote appeared in different literary magazines.
Books for Young Readers
Kadohata has written many popular books for children and young adults. Her second children's book, Weedflower, came out in 2006. This story is about a Japanese American internment camp during World War II. Her own father was held in one of these camps.
In 2007, she published Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam. This book tells a story about the Vietnam War from the point of view of a war dog. Another book, Outside Beauty, was released in 2008. It is about a 13-year-old girl and her three sisters. They face challenges when they are separated after their mother has an accident.
Inspiration from Life
Some of Cynthia Kadohata's books are inspired by her own life. For example, in her novels The Floating World and Kira-Kira, characters work at chicken hatcheries. Their job is to tell male chicks from female chicks. This idea came from her childhood, as her father worked as a chick sexer.
As of July 2025, Cynthia Kadohata lives in Los Angeles. She lives with her son, her boyfriend, and her dogs.
Cynthia Kadohata's Books
Here is a list of novels written by Cynthia Kadohata:
- The Floating World (1989)
- In the Heart of the Valley of Love (1992)
- The Glass Mountains (1995)
- Kira-Kira (2004)
- This book won the Newbery Medal.
- It also received the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
- Weedflower (2006)
- This book won the PEN USA Award.
- Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam (2007)
- It won the California Young Reader Medal in 2011.
- It also won several other state book awards.
- Outside Beauty (2008)
- A Million Shades of Gray (2010)
- The Thing About Luck (2013)
- This book won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
- It also received the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
- Half a World Away (2014)
- Checked (2018)
- A Place to Belong (2019)
- Vape (2023)
Short Stories
Cynthia Kadohata has also written several short stories:
- Charlie O. (published in The New Yorker, 1986)
- Seven Moons (published in Grand Street, 1988)
- Breece D'J Pancake (published in Mississippi Review, 1989)
- Gray Girl (published in Ploughshares, 1999)
