Japanese Literary Awards

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Himuro Saeko Youth Literary Award ひむろさえこせいしゅんぶんがくしょう

Edition 1 (2018)

Youth LiteratureNovels

Winners

3 people
Torio Sakurai さくらい とりお grand prize

After bullying keeps sixth-grader Honoka from going to school, she reaches an old library where she meets a strange librarian, a mysterious boy, and many books, gradually finding her world beginning to move again. The prize-winning Hebi Otoko was substantially revised and published as Nijiiro Toshokan no Hebi Otoko.

In the library she reaches while searching for a place to belong, a girl's world begins to regain its colors.

224 pages
libraryschool refusalbullyingencountering booksrecovery
沢村基 さわむら もとい runner-up grand prize

A youth novel about the secret behind a popular online artist. Beginning with the suspicion that the artist's work is plagiarized, it explores the desire for recognition, creativity, and the pain of wanting a mother's approval.

In the shadow of dazzling talent, a heart strains to be seen by someone.

youthsocial mediacreationplagiarismmother-child relationship
笠井カヤナ かさい かやな

A youth novel in which high school student Kimidori faces love, friendship, family, and sexual awakening while confronting discomfort in her own body and mind. The premise of swapped hands brings the boundary between self and others into focus.

The question of whose hands these are unsettles the girl's body and heart.

youthfamilyfriendshipbodysexual awakening