2008 Sydney Taylor Books Announced
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SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 1/8/2008 2:05:00 PM
Three books—focusing on Judaism’s most important prayer, on a ghost in post-WWII Europe, and on a modern-day girl's introduction to Hasidic, or ultra-orthodox, Jewish life—are winners of 2008 Sydney Taylor Book Awards.
The picture book The Bedtime Sh'ma: A Good Night Book (EKS, 2007) by Sarah Gershman and Kristina Swarner, which won in the Younger Readers Category, explains the meaning behind the Sh'ma prayer, a central part of morning and evening services.
Sid Fleischman’s The Entertainer and the Dybbuk (HarperCollins, 2007), which won in the Older Readers Category, tells the tale of a spirit—or dybbuk—of a murdered, 12-year-old Jewish boy as it possesses the body of an American GI traveling through Europe.
Sonia Levitin’s Strange Relations (Knopf, 2007), which topped the Teen Readers Category, relates the story of teenaged Marne, who spends the summer in Hawaii with her Hasidic relatives, from whom her mother is estranged.
Sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries, the awards honor new children's and young adult books that "exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience.”
The Sydney Taylor Book Awards also recognized six Honor Books and 23 Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2008.The full list is available online. The awards will be presented at the Association of Jewish Libraries' convention in Cleveland, in June.
