Moa Backe Åstot’s Flutters of the Heart has been shortlisted for Norrland’s Literature Prize in the category children’s & YA literature. The prize has been awarded annually since 1973 to the best book that has a clear connection to the Swedish north.

In 2022, Moa Backe Åstot was awarded the prize for her debut novel Fire From the Sky.

Moa Backe Åstot’s Fire From the Sky has been named a Printz Honor Book 2024. The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature is an annual award, honoring the best book written for teens, based on its literary merit. In addition, the committee presents four honor books each year. The award is given by the Young Adult Library Association, a division of the American Library Association.

The committee’s motivation reads as follows:
“A member of the Sámi people in Sweden, Ánte wants to preserve his birthright of traditional reindeer herding. However, he worries his emerging romantic feelings for his best friend, Erik, put him at irreconcilable odds with his community and culture. Stark, atmospheric prose invokes an introspective look into individuality within community.”

When the American magazine Kirkus Reviews lists the best titles of 2023, Moa Backe Åstot’s lauded Fire From the Sky is featured on the list for “Best Young Adult Books of the Year”.

Kirkus Reviews was founded in the 1930s, and it is one of the most authoritative sources for book reviews. Each year, the magazine publishes thousands of reviews by professional reviewers, and lists the top titles in six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Teens & YA, Middle Grade, Picture Books, and Indie.

Earlier this year, the magazine published a starred review of the novel, with the words:
“Despite the looming shadow of canonical queer tragedies in pastoral settings, debut Sámi author Åstot delicately manages to simultaneously honor tradition and push against it. The result is a rare and triumphant look at what it means for queerness to stay put, with all the messiness and pain that entails. The time-stopping emphasis on gazing and longing results in romantic tension that nearly rivals period romances, yet the story is anchored in the present. Sámi words and phrases and rich descriptions make for an immersive read. Though Ánte’s queerness is isolated, an adult gay Sámi’s reappearance hints at queer community. A fresh voice and a setting that’s pure fire.”

Emma Karinsdotter’s Unscientific Studies: Nine Pieces of Evidence for Things That Likely Never Happened and Moa Backe Åstot’s Flutters of the Heart are both featured on Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan’s list of the best children’s books of the year. The list is put together by critics, listing their favorites from 2023. The motivations read as follows:

Unscientific Studies: Nine Pieces of Evidence for Things That Likely Never Happened, for Best Chapter books:
“A unique collection of short stories about strange things that could happen to you. Life is not always easy, but it definitely feels simpler when reading Emma Karinsdotter’s absurd and ingenious stories, enhanced by Marcus-Gunnar Pettersson’s one-of-a-kind and humoristic illustrations.”

Flutters of the Heart, for Best Young Adult novel:
“In her second and wonderful YA novel, Moa Backe Åstot continues to explore what being Sámi means to today’s young Sámi.”

No one at school believes Vilda when she tells them she is Sámi. There are always a million questions: Do you speak Sámi? Do you own reindeer? Is your dad Sámi? But no matter what answers Vilda give, it’s like she’s not Sámi enough for them. She’s decided to change that. She’s going to start wearing gábdde, the traditional Sámi clothing, and ask her grandfather, the only one in her family who speaks Sámi, to teach her the language.

But when Vilda’s grandfather suddenly passes away, everything is turned upside down. Vilda has to navigate her Sámi heritage all on her own. At the funeral she meets Samuel. He is a few years older and has everything Vilda wants for herself: the gábdde, the reindeer, the language. Everything her grandfather never got the chance to give her. Perhaps Samuel can show her how to be Sámi instead?

Flutters of the Heart is a book about grief, love, and the right to define who you are.