New York, NY (May 28, 2025)—The New York Historical has announced that this year’s Children’s History Book Prize has been awarded to author Doan Phuong Nguyen for A Two-Placed Heart (Lee & Low Books, 2024). The prize of $10,000 is awarded annually to the best American history book for middle readers ages 9–12, fiction or nonfiction. A special ceremony at The Historical to celebrate the author took place on June 10.
Afraid her sister (and maybe even herself) could lose sight of their Vietnamese identity, 12-year-old Bom writes a poetic memoir to help them both remember—a love letter in verse to sisterhood and places left behind. Using her father’s old typewriter, Bom writes down everything she can remember from her early life in Vietnam, like when they were so hungry Bom couldn’t walk well, and what it was like moving to Tennessee—from ESL classes and bullies to strange foods and new friendships—and how her family worked to keep their heritage alive.
“Doan Phuong Nguyen has written a poignant and evocative story about the immigration experience from a young person’s perspective, showcasing the difficulties and joys that are experienced when you leave one home and create a new one somewhere very different,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of 2 The New York Historical. “While the story is inspired by the author’s family and their journey, the plot, voices, and concerns the family face feel universal and accessible. We’re proud to present the Children’s History Book Prize to Doan Phuong Nguyen.”
“I am so honored and deeply moved that The New York Historical has chosen A Two-Placed Heart as the winner of this year’s Children’s History Book Prize,” said Doan Phuong Nguyen. “This year, 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, and the echoes of the war and the loss of a homeland still haunts many immigrant families, including my own. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to share my family history and my experience as a girl caught between two countries and vastly different cultures, in this beautiful novel-in-verse.”
Doan Phuong Nguyen was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States when she was in elementary school. Her debut middle grade novel, Mèo and Bé, was selected for the 2024 Notable Book for a Global Society list and her middle grade novel-in-verse, A Two-Placed Heart, was a SCBWI Golden Kite Award finalist, a 2024 Freeman Book Award winner, longlisted for the Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Awards, and selected for the 2025 Notable Book for a Global Society list.
A Two-Placed Heart was selected by a jury comprising librarians, educators, historians, and families with middle schoolers. Finalists for this year’s Children’s History Book Prize were Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare by Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy; One Big Open Sky by Lesa ClineRansome; Warrior on the Mound by Sandra Headen; and Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell.
Past winners of the Children’s History Book Prize include The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh; We Own the Sky by Rodman Philbrick; How to Find What You’re Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani; Never Caught, The Story of Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Kathleen Van Cleve; Out of Left Field by Ellen Klages; Fred Korematsu Speaks Up by Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi (authors) and Yutaka Houlette (illustrator); Unbound: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg; Echo by Pam Muñoz; Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War by Helen Frost; and The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine.
The Children’s History Book Prize is part of The New York Historical’s larger efforts on behalf of children and families. The DiMenna Children’s History Museum regularly presents programs where families explore history together. The New York Historical’s work with middle school readers and their families is grounded in the belief that offering creative opportunities to engage the entire family helps young readers grow and thrive.
About The New York Historical
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; peerless collections of art, documents, and artifacts; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.
Press Contact
Marybeth Ihle | The New York Historical |marybeth.ihle@nyhistory.org
