“Rebellion 1776” by Laurie Halse Anderson Wins 2025 Grateful American Book Prize
Honorable Mentions Go to Rebecca Brenner Graham and Debbie Levy for Works on Frances Perkins and the Scopes Trial
ARLINGTON, VA – October 8, 2025 – Laurie Halse Anderson’s powerful novel, Rebellion 1776 (Simon & Schuster/A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book), has been selected as the Winner of the 2025 Grateful American Book Prize, said the co-founder of the prize, David Bruce Smith.
The historical fiction adventure plunges young readers into the American Revolution, following a girl struggling to survive amid a smallpox epidemic, public fear of inoculation, and the seething war. The New York Times described Anderson’s book as, “Filled with immersive detail, expert delineations of complex characters, and both harsh and loving reality, Rebellion 1776 provides young readers with a true experience of a historic moment in time that resonates with today’s world.”
Honorable Mentions Highlight American Trailblazers
Two exceptional books received Honorable Mentions:
- Dear Miss Perkins: A Story of Frances Perkins’s Efforts to Aid Refugees from Nazi Germany (Kensington) by Rebecca Brenner Graham, a fascinating portrait of the progressive female trailblazer and U.S. Secretary for Labor.
- A Dangerous Idea: The Scopes Trial, the Original Fight over Science in Schools (Bloomsbury) by Debbie Levy, which chronicles the 100-year-old debate ignited by a small-town science teacher over what students should learn.
About The Grateful American Book Prize
The Grateful American Book Prize is awarded annually for high-quality, 7th to 9th grade level historical fiction, nonfiction, and biographies that explore the personalities and events which have shaped the United States since its founding.
The $13,000 cash award, which commemorates the original 13 Colonies, also includes a lifetime membership at The New York Historical, and a silver medallion created by the co-founder’s mother, renowned artist Clarice Smith.
Honorable Mention awardees each receive $500 and the medallion.
David Bruce Smith, author and education advocate, co-founded the Prize in 2015 with the late Dr. Bruce Cole, the longest-serving chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (2001 to 2009).
MEDIA CONTACT
Grateful American Book Prize
info@gratefulamericanbookprize.org
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