WASHINGTON, DC, June 16 – The winner of the 2015 Grateful American Book Prize, Like a River: A Civil War Novel, is garnering new acclaim. The book and its author, Kathy Cannon Wiechman, are finalists for the Ohioana Book Award, the Maine Student Book Award, and it has been nominated for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award in Vermont.

Ms. Wiechman said that she is a proud daughter of Ohio to have been chosen as a finalist for the Ohioana award. She added that the Dorothy Canfield Fisher and Maine Student Book awards put an emphasis on the study of history among America’s young readers. “The Grateful American Book Prize was a huge honor for me, and now having Like a River acknowledged by others allows me to believe that an interest in history in our schools and libraries does exist. I sincerely hope it continues and grows.”

The Grateful American Book Prize is the first of its kind competition for historically accurate books of fiction and non-fiction for young readers focused on the events and personalities that have shaped the United States. Prize judges are in the midst of evaluating entries for the 2016 Prize. Submissions for this year’s award are being accepted through July 31, 2016.