2025 Sydney Taylor Book Award Winners Announced Winners of the annual Sydney Taylor Book Award <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.sydneytaylorbookawards.org/__;!!KGKeukY!y6vCD4LJis5HnljA7opQRNqRxB4QDk5g_OrAMoo3fTR6W8_23pCJAhdY3eBCcwIci_IByzU-yrQMij3b4sw-Zpqk7cF04Zxo$ > were announced by the Association of Jewish Libraries today in a virtual livecast at the Youth Media Awards announcement at the American Library Association’s LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience in Phoenix. Named in memory of Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series, the award recognizes books for children and teens that exemplify high literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience.
GOLD MEDALISTS An Etrog from Across the Sea by Deborah Bodin Cohen and Kerry Olitzky, illustrated by Stacey Dressen McQueen, published by Kar-Ben Publishing, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, is the winner in the Picture Book category. Papa has promised to bring home an etrog (citron) for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot from his trading voyage. When his ship does not appear as expected, Leah and Aaron return to the family’s Hudson Valley homestead, hoping that he will arrive in time to celebrate with them. Inspired by a Sephardic family’s silver etrog box, this story captures the joys and the perils of Jewish life in the eighteenth century, accompanied by hand-painted illustrations styled after early American folk art. The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival by Estelle Nadel with Sammy Savos and Bethany Strout, illustrated by Sammy Savos, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing, is the winner in the Middle Grade category. Sensitive illustrations dramatize this poignant graphic novel. The reader follows Enia from her happy Jewish childhood in a small Polish village, through hiding from the Nazis, to a new and complicated post-war life in the US. Enia draws on her inner resources and love of singing to keep herself going through terrible losses. Night Owls by A. R. Vishny, published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is the winner in the Young Adult category. Molly and Clara are estries—bread-eating, owl-shifting women vampires from Jewish lore—living in an indie cinema/former Yiddish theater. When Molly's girlfriend vanishes, the sisters must team up with reluctant medium Boaz and face down a monstrous Manhattan underworld to find her—or they will all disappear. An immersive urban fantasy with a unique Jewish twist. SILVER MEDALISTS Nine Sydney Taylor Honor Books were recognized. For Picture Books, the Honor Books are Amazing Abe: How Abraham Cahan's Newspaper Gave a Voice to Jewish Immigrants by Norman H. Finkelstein, illustrated by Vesper Stamper, published by Holiday House; Joyful Song: A Naming Story by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal, an Arthur A. Levine book, published by Levine Querido; Rising by Sidura Ludwig, illustrated by Sophia Vincent Guy, published by Candlewick Press; and The Tree of Life: How a Holocaust Sapling Inspired the World by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Alianna Rozentsveig, published by Rocky Pond Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. For Middle Grade, the Honor Books are Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar, published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House; Finn and Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop by Joshua S. Levy, published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; and Just Shy of Ordinary by A. J. Sass, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. For Young Adult, the Honor Books are The Forbidden Book by Sacha Lamb, an Arthur A. Levine book, published by Levine Querido; and Trajectory by Cambria Gordon, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc. In addition to the medal winners, the Award Committee designated eight Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2025. The Notable Picture Books are Everybody's Book: The Story of the Sarajevo Haggadah by Linda Leopold Strauss, illustrated by Tim Smart, published by Kar-Ben Publishing, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group; Mr. Katz and Me by Marc Kornblatt, illustrated by Nanette Regan, published by Apples & Honey Press, an imprint of Behrman House; and Sharing Shalom by Danielle Sharkan, illustrated by Selina Alko, published by Holiday House. The Notable Middle Grade Books are Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton, published by Tundra Books, an imprint of Tundra Book Group, a division of Penguin Random House Canada; Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II by Adam Gidwitz, published by Dutton Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House; and Things That Shimmer by Deborah Lakritz, published by Kar-Ben Publishing, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group. The Notable Young Adult Books are The Ballerina of Auschwitz by Dr. Edith Eva Eger, published by Atheneum, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division; and Inkflower by Suzy Zail, published by Walker Books Australia. More information about the Sydney Taylor Book Award, a complete listing of the award winners and notables, and seals for purchase can be found at https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.sydneytaylorbookawards.org__;!!KGKeukY!y6vCD4LJis5HnljA7opQRNqRxB4QDk5g_OrAMoo3fTR6W8_23pCJAhdY3eBCcwIci_IByzU-yrQMij3b4sw-Zpqk7U3Z0h9X$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.sydneytaylorbookawards.org/__;!!KGKeukY!y6vCD4LJis5HnljA7opQRNqRxB4QDk5g_OrAMoo3fTR6W8_23pCJAhdY3eBCcwIci_IByzU-yrQMij3b4sw-Zpqk7cF04Zxo$ >. The 2025 winner for the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://jewishlibraries.org/sydney-taylor-manuscript-award/__;!!KGKeukY!y6vCD4LJis5HnljA7opQRNqRxB4QDk5g_OrAMoo3fTR6W8_23pCJAhdY3eBCcwIci_IByzU-yrQMij3b4sw-Zpqk7bPTLuJN$ > is Hanna R. Neier for When You Write Back, a dual point-of-view novel written in letters between Ellie and her school-assigned pen pal, Daniel. When Ellie realizes their letters are traveling through time and that Daniel is a Jewish kid living in 1942 Nazi-occupied Paris, she is determined to save him. But as time runs out, and Ellie’s own world unravels, she wonders whether it might be Daniel who is meant to save her. Exploring the power and magic of connecting with another person through words, Ellie and Daniel demonstrate that friendship can be found in the most unlikely of places. Winning authors and illustrators will receive their awards at the Annual Conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries, to be held online from June 23 to 26, 2025. Gold and silver medalists will participate in a blog tour from February 10 to 14, 2025. For more information about the blog tour, please visit https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.sydneytaylorbookawards.org__;!!KGKeukY!y6vCD4LJis5HnljA7opQRNqRxB4QDk5g_OrAMoo3fTR6W8_23pCJAhdY3eBCcwIci_IByzU-yrQMij3b4sw-Zpqk7U3Z0h9X$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.sydneytaylorbookawards.org/__;!!KGKeukY!y6vCD4LJis5HnljA7opQRNqRxB4QDk5g_OrAMoo3fTR6W8_23pCJAhdY3eBCcwIci_IByzU-yrQMij3b4sw-Zpqk7cF04Zxo$ >. For an exclusive interview with Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee Chair, please visit The Book of Life Podcast at https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.bookoflifepodcast.com__;!!KGKeukY!y6vCD4LJis5HnljA7opQRNqRxB4QDk5g_OrAMoo3fTR6W8_23pCJAhdY3eBCcwIci_IByzU-yrQMij3b4sw-Zpqk7edmHbuV$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.bookoflifepodcast.com/__;!!KGKeukY!y6vCD4LJis5HnljA7opQRNqRxB4QDk5g_OrAMoo3fTR6W8_23pCJAhdY3eBCcwIci_IByzU-yrQMij3b4sw-Zpqk7TryfJR-$ >. The Association of Jewish Libraries is pleased to announce plans for a Sydney Taylor portal on its website, which will celebrate the author of the beloved All-of-a-Kind Family series. Inspired by a new picture book biography, One of a Kind: The Life of Sydney Taylor by Richard Michelson, the portal will curate information and resources relating to Taylor, her works, and the youth literature prize named in her memory, the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Members of the 2025 Sydney Taylor Book Award committee are: Chair Aviva Rosenberg, Ridgefield Free Public Library, New Jersey; Nat Bension, Anna Schwalb Memorial Library, Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Dr. Annette Y. Goldsmith, Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel Levy Library, Los Angeles, California; Eytan Kessler, Huntington Library, New York; Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University, Chicago, Illinois; Rachel Simon, Newton Free Library, Newton, Massachusetts; Cheryl Fox Strausberg, United States Agency for International Development, Washington, DC. Members of the 2025 Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award committee are Chair Talya Sokoll, Putnam Library Co-Director, Noble and Greenough School, Dedham, Massachusetts; Susan Carlton, Sydney Taylor Notable Author, Lecturer, Boston University, Hanover, New Hampshire; Mimi Leyton, Volunteer, Greenberg Families Library, Soloway JCC, Ottawa (Canada); Heather J. Matthews, Assistant Professor of Literacy, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland; Stacy Nockowitz, retired middle school librarian, author, and National Jewish Book Award winner, Columbus, Ohio; Arielle Vishny, author, Queens, New York.
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