The New York Historical Children's History Book Prize

Through the Children’s History Book Prize, The New York Historical honors the best children’s historical literature in the United States and encourages authors to continue to create engaging and challenging narratives that provide a window into the past for middle readers and their families. The winning author is awarded $10,000. The jury comprises librarians, educators, historians, and families with middle-grade readers.

The New York Historical is dedicated to exploring history through characters and narrative. To support this endeavor, the Barbara K. Lipman Children’s History Library in the DiMenna Children’s History Museum has a wide selection of children’s books about American and New York history, and hosts a variety of book-focused family programs, including the Reading into History Family Book Club, Sunday Story Time, and Little New-Yorkers.

The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls

Winner of the 2025 Children’s History Book Prize

The winner of the 2025 Children’s History Book Prize is J. Anderson Coats' The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls! In 1910 Cold Creek, Colorado, 12-year old Stanislava Razpotnik hungers to attend college and leave behind Bohunk Town, the derogatory name for her Slovenian community. After seismic changes at home, she stows away on a train to Denver, where she finds herself alone, hiding out in the large public library. Eventually she gets a job as an interpreter assisting with library outreach to local Slovenians. Sylvia’s conflicted feelings about her background have contemporary relevance, and readers will admire her yearning for education and tenacity in living independently.

2025 Children’s History Book Prize Finalists

A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez by Maria Dolores Aguila

Based on the true story of Roberto Alvarez and the 1931 Lemon Grove Incident court case, this novel in verse follows Roberto, an eager student who excels in his studies but is barred along with other Mexican American students from Lemon Grove Grammar School. The barrio residents quickly organize and take legal action. 12-year-old Roberto becomes the lead plaintiff and despite threats and the looming fear of retaliation, the community stands firm. Roberto’s voice is powerful and lyrical, capturing feelings of fear and solidarity.

Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman

It’s 1935, and on their farm in the Oklahoma panhandle, the Stanton family is suffering amid drought and dust storms. In alternating first-person points of view, twins Howe and Joanna narrate their family’s experiences. Joanna finds her calling in assisting the visiting Red Cross nurses, who are in town to help with a measles epidemic and dust-related health issues. Howe dives into his writing and is inspired by a man from the government’s Soil Erosion Service who brings hope for the rebirth of their community’s natural landscape. The historical milieu is extremely well drawn, and Colman’s dedication to authenticity and rich detail creates a compelling world.

Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes

In 1888, 12-year-old Will’s father, who was formerly enslaved, comes home late with news that changes the family’s lives forever. He’s carrying a flyer announcing a land rush more than 400 miles away from where they live as sharecroppers in Texas. When major responsibility for the success of their venture falls on Will’s shoulders, he pushes through, despite facing threats until the very end. This fast-paced and eventful ride through the West is an accessible and engaging read. Although Will’s internal and external conflicts are central to the story, Rhodes’ well-developed peripheral characters have incredible depth, adding complexity to the straightforward adventure.

A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez by Maria Dolores Aguila

Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman

Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes

A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez by Maria Dolores Aguila

Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman

Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Please send 2026 published submissions by October 31, 2026 to:

Alice Stevenson
Director, DiMenna Children’s History Museum
The New York Historical
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024

The New York Historical Children’s History Book Prize is supported by an anonymous donor.

Recent Winners

The Lions of Little Rock

By Kristin Levine; In 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas, painfully shy 12-year-old Marlee sees her city and family divided over school integration, but her friendship with Liz, a new student, helps her find her voice and fight against racism.

A Two-Placed Heart

By Doan Phuong Nguyen; Through verse and memoir, this story of protagonist Bom’s family history—in Vietnam, emigrating, and in Tennessee—captures the subtle differences even a few years can make when assimilating, while depicting the stark realities of famine, war, immigration, and loss, tempering some of the more heart-wrenching moments with compassion and hope.

The Lost Year

By Katherine Marsh; Set in alternating timelines that connect the present day to the 1930s and the US to the USSR, The Lost Year tells the story of a young boy living through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as he starts to unravel a secret family history: the Holodomor, the horrific famine that killed millions of Ukrainians.

The New York Historical Children's History Book Prize

The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls

2025 Children’s History Book Prize Finalists

Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes

A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez by Maria Dolores Aguila

Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman

Recent Winners

The Lions of Little Rock

A Two-Placed Heart

The Lost Year

Champion History

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