Laurie Halse Anderson Wins 2025 Grateful American Book Prize for “Rebellion 1776”
Honorable Mentions awarded to Rebecca Brenner Graham and Debbie Levy
Acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson has been awarded the 2025 Grateful American Book Prize for her middle-grade historical novel, Rebellion 1776 (Simon & Schuster / A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book). It was presented at a ceremony held at The St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C., on October 30, 2025.
Rebellion 1776 tells the story of a young girl facing the dual challenges of a smallpox epidemic and the upheaval of the Revolutionary War.
“Winning the Grateful American Book Prize for Rebellion 1776 is a joyful honor,” Anderson said. “I write about American history to spark curiosity in young readers. The Grateful American Foundation shares this mission by supporting youth, families, and educators with quality resources about our nation’s history.”
Honorable Mentions were also given to:
- Rebecca Brenner Graham, for Dear Miss Perkins: A Story of Frances Perkins’s Efforts to Aid Refugees from Nazi Germany (Kensington).
- Debbie Levy, for A Dangerous Idea: The Scopes Trial, the Original Fight over Science in Schools (Bloomsbury).
“Receiving an honorable mention from the Grateful American Book Prize is especially meaningful to me because I believe more young Americans should know about Frances Perkins’s career, including her fight against American bigotry to support refugees from Nazism,” said Graham. “I was a full-time high school teacher throughout the process of writing Dear Miss Perkins, so I’m especially glad if the book resonates with younger audiences.”
“My purpose in writing about history for young people is to tell irresistible stories and to get kids to share my enthusiasm for my subjects,” Levy noted. “The Scopes trial is one of those irresistible historical events, and I am so pleased that the Grateful American Book Prize, which shares my dedication to creating enthusiasm among kids for history, has chosen to recognize it.”
Each year the Grateful American Book Prize honors outstanding works of historical fiction, nonfiction, and biography written for readers in grades 7–9 that illuminate important personalities and events in American history.
The winner receives $13,000—symbolizing the original 13 Colonies—along with a silver medallion created by renowned artist Clarice Smith, and a lifetime membership at The New York Historical. Each Honorable Mention recipient receives $500 and a medallion.
Founded in 2015 by David Bruce Smith and the late Dr. Bruce Cole, the Grateful American Book Prize encourages authors to engage young readers with America’s past. Submissions for the 2026 Prize open January 1, 2026.
“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).
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