Introducing the winners and honors of the Sydney Taylor Book Award (2025), presented annually by the Association of Jewish Libraries to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience.
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This episode is part of the Sydney Taylor Book Award 2025 Blog Tour:
View all blog tour stops here.
Books Featured in the Order They Appear on the Episode:
AWARD WINNERS
“An Etrog from Across the Sea” by Deborah Bodin Cohen and Kerry Olitzky, illustrated by Stacey Dressen McQueen and published by Kar-Ben Publishing, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, is the 2025 Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Picture Book category.
“The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival” by Estelle Nadel and Sammy Savos with Bethany Strout, illustrated by Sammy Savos, and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing, is the 2025 Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Middle Grade category.
“Night Owls” by A.R. Vishny, published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is the 2025 Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Young Adult category.
HONOR BOOKS
Nine Sydney Taylor Honor Books were also recognized this year.
In the Picture Book category, 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 and 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, and published by Candlewick Press.
“The Tree of Life: How a Holocaust Sapling Inspired the World” by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Alianna Rozentsveig and published by Rocky Pond, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
In the Middle Grade category, 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.
“Just Shy of Ordinary” by A.J. Sass, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.
In the Young Adult category, the Honor Books are:
“The Forbidden Book” by Sacha Lamb, an Arthur A. Levine book, published by Levine Querido.
“Trajectory” by Cambria Gordon, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
NOTABLE BOOKS
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/Lerner.
“Mr. Katz and Me” by Marc Kornblatt, illustrated by Nanette Regan, published by Apples & Honey/Behrman House.
“Sharing Shalom” by Danielle Sharkan, illustrated by Selina Alko, published by Holiday House.
The Notable Middle Grade Novels are:
“Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf” by Deke Moulton, published by Tundra Books/Penguin Random House Canada.
“Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II” by Adam Gidwitz, published by Dutton/Penguin Random House.
“Things That Shimmer” by Deborah Lakritz, published by Kar-Ben/Lerner.
The Notable Young Adult Novels are:
“The Ballerina of Auschwitz” by Dr. Edith Eva Eger, Esme Schwall, and Jordan Engle, published by Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.
“Inkflower” by Suzy Zail, published by Walker Books Australia.
Transcript:
For a full transcript, episode takeaways, quotes, and more, visit https://deepcast.fm/episode/the-2025-sydney-taylor-book-award-winners-honors-and-notable-books
