Jillian Tamaki: I was surprised only because I didn’t know when it was happening… I don’t pay that much attention to awards. Mariko Tamaki: I knew that they were coming up but I was trying not to think about them too much, so I was super honored and happy, but not necessarily surprised. Paste: Congratulations on your Printz and Caldecott recognition, which, up until today, felt mutually exclusive! Were you surprised to find you’d been honored in both categories, including one that’s traditionally for picture books? Paste spoke with the cousins over the phone to discuss award recognition, collaboration, and writing for audiences of all ages…or not. With a mélange of marital tension, local teen drama and complicated friendship, Jillian and Mariko Tamaki have created a quietly heartbreaking - and hopeful - microcosm of life on the cusp of growing up. Rendered in a lush, monochromatic blue, This One Summer takes place at a summer lake house as two young girls find themselves on opposite sides of the widening gap between adolescence and young adulthood. It’s not every day that a graphic novel is recognized for a prestigious literary honor, but writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Jillian Tamaki’s evocative masterpiece, This One Summer, just accomplished the unprecedented feat of taking home both a Printz Honor (for outstanding young adult literature) and a Caldecott Honor (for exceptional picture book art), awarded by the American Library Association at the Youth Media Awards in Chicago yesterday.
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