Debbi Michiko Florence
At a book signing in 2019
Born	1964 or 1965 (age 60–61) San Francisco, California
Occupation	Children's writer
Alma mater	University of California, Davis
Website
debbimichikoflorence.com

Debbi Michiko Florence (born 1964 or 1965) is an Americanchildren's writer. She is known for herJasmine Toguchi series of chapter books, the first of which isJasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen (2017).

Florence was born in San Francisco, California, into aJapanese American family and grew up in Los Angeles. As the grandchildren of Japanese-born emigrants, she is a part of the cultural generation known as theSansei. She was named afterEmpress Michiko, then thecrown princess of Japan.^[1]

An animal lover, Florence held several jobs working with animals and obtained azoology degree at theUniversity of California, Davis. After obtaining a teaching certificate and briefly teaching at a middle school, she secured an associate curator position at a zoo. She began a writing career after her marriage and later moved toMystic, Connecticut.^[1][2] She is known for herJasmine Toguchi series of chapter books, the first of which isJasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen (2017).^[2][3]Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl won the 2018Cybils Award and the 2019Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award.^[4][5] In 2017, she co-founded asoy sauce brand named Moromi with local chef James Wayman and her husband, Bob Florence, who previously worked as a chemist atGeneral Electric and Google.^[6]

With authorsStacey Lee,Kat Cho,Traci Chee, andVan Hoang, Florence organized an auction to fundraise forStop AAPI Hate and#HateIsAVirus in light of rising anti-Asianxenophobia and racism connected to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.^[7] She spoke toPublishers Weekly in 2024 about the impact of an ongoing wave anti-Asian sentiment andbook banning in the US: "These book bans have made me hyperaware that there are people who don't want me or my characters to exist."^[8]

• Michalak, Jamie; Florence, Debbi Michiko (2021).Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites. Illustrated by Yuko Jones. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.ISBN 978-0-374-31387-6.^[9][10][11]
• Florence, Debbi Michiko (2025).Monster Maker: The Strange Creatures of Mark Nagata. Illustrated by Inko Ai Takita.Reycraft Books.ISBN 978-1-478-89063-8.^[12][13]

• Florence, Debbi Michiko (2017).Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen. Illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic.Farrar, Straus and Giroux.ISBN 978-0-374-30410-2.^[3]
• — (2018).Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl. Illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic.Farrar, Straus and Giroux.ISBN 978-0-374-30416-4.^[14]
• — (2019).Truman the Dog. Illustrated by Melanie Demmer.Picture Window Books.ISBN 978-1-5158-4560-7.^[15][16]

• Florence, Debbi Michiko (2020).Keep It Together, Keiko Carter.Scholastic.ISBN 978-1-338-60752-9.^[17][18]
• — (2021).Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai. Scholastic.ISBN 978-1-338-67156-8.^[19][20]
• — (2022).Sweet and Sour. Scholastic.ISBN 978-1-338-67159-9.^[21][22]
• — (2023).This Is How I Roll A Wish Novel. Scholastic.ISBN 978-1-338-78556-2.^[23][24][25]
• Oh, Ellen, ed. (2024).On the Block: Stories of Home.Crown Books for Young Readers.ISBN 9780593648445.^[26]
• Florence, Debbi Michiko (2025).A Study In Secrets.Aladdin.ISBN 9781665950473.^[27]

• Official website

• 21st-century American women writers
• Living people
• Writers from Los Angeles
• People from Mystic, Connecticut
• University of California, Davis alumni
• American women children's writers
• American women writers of young adult literature
• American women novelists
• American people of Japanese descent
• American writers of Japanese descent
• American women writers of Asian descent
• 1960s births

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from December 2025