2023 Finalists
The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen written by Isaac Blum and published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House.
Yehuda "Hoodie" Rosen is a teen whose Orthodox Jewish community has just moved to a quiet, mostly gentile town, and the people - especially the Mayor - aren't especially welcoming. When Hoodie befriends Anna-Marie, the mayor's daughter, his community turns on him for siding with the enemy, especially after a series of escalating anti-Semitic crimes. Hoodie has to decide where he stands and figure out where he belongs.