2025 Sydney Taylor Book Award winners announced

PHOENIX — The 2025 winners of the Sydney Taylor Book Award, administered by the Association of Jewish Libraries, an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), were announced today during the ALA’s LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience held January 24 – 27 in Phoenix.

The Sydney Taylor Book Award is named in memory of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series author Sydney Taylor. The award recognizes titles for children and teens that exemplify high literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience.

“This year’s winning books take familiar topics and explore them in new and thought-provoking ways. We are so proud to share and celebrate these titles.” said Aviva Rosenberg, chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee.

The 2025 Sydney Taylor selections include:

GOLD MEDALISTS

“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 winner in the Picture Book category.

Papa has promised to bring an etrog (citron) for Sukkot from a trading voyage, but when his ship does not appear, Leah and Aaron return to the family’s Hudson Valley homestead, hoping that he will arrive in time to celebrate with them. Hand-painted illustrations are styled after early American folk art.

“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 winner in the Middle Grade category.

In this poignant, thoughtfully illustrated biographical graphic novel, Enia’s happy Jewish childhood in rural Poland is cruelly disrupted when she is forced to hide from the Nazis. Enia, later called Estelle, suffers devastating losses and separations but draws on her inner resources and love of singing to endure.

“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 -- living in an indie cinema/former Yiddish theater. When Molly's girlfriend vanishes, the sisters team up with reluctant medium Boaz, facing down a monstrous Manhattan underworld to find her before they all disappear. An immersive urban fantasy with a Jewish twist.

SILVER MEDALISTS

Nine Sydney Taylor Honor Books also were recognized.

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.

In addition to the medal winners, the award committee designated eight Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2025. More information about the Sydney Taylor Book Award and a complete listing of the award winners and notables can be found at www.sydneytaylorbookawards.org.

Winning authors and illustrators will receive their awards at the Annual Conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries, to be held online, June 23-26. Gold and Silver medalists will also participate in a blog tour February 10-14. For more information about the blog tour, please visit www.jewishlibraries.org/blog.

A full list of all the winners is available on the Sydney Taylor Book Award website at https://jewishlibraries.org/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, JCC of Greater Ann Arbor, Michigan; Dr. Annette Y. Goldsmith, Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel Levy Library, Los Angeles; Eytan Kessler, Huntington Public Library, New York; Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University, Chicago; Rachel Simon, Newton Free Library, Massachusetts; Cheryl Fox Strausberg, United States Agency for International Development, Washington, D.C.

About the American Library Association

American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. ALA is the trusted voice for libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org.

About the Association of Jewish Libraries

The Association of Jewish Libraries, the leading authority on Judaic librarianship, is an international, professional organization that fosters access to information and research in all forms of media relating to all things Jewish. The Association promotes Jewish literacy and scholarship and provides a community for peer support and professional development. For more information, visit www.jewishlibraries.org.