Big Bio

Sofiya Pasternack grew up surrounded by goats, and as an adult pets the neighbor's goats through the fence even though she probably shouldn't. When she’s not working at the hospital, she can be found enjoying Utah’s wild places, teaching her kids to make challah, and defending nice dragons. She should definitely be studying right now. Her debut middle grade fantasy, ANYA AND THE DRAGON, was awarded the Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor for Middle Grade. The sequel, ANYA AND THE NIGHTINGALE, will be out November 10th, 2020!

Small Bio

Sofiya Pasternack is an author and nurse whose fondest childhood memories involve her pet goats wrecking up the house. Her debut middle grade fantasy, ANYA AND THE DRAGON, was awarded the Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor for Middle Grade. The sequel, ANYA AND THE NIGHTINGALE, will be out November 10th, 2020!

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Anya and the Dragon

A Sydney Taylor

Book Award Honor

Headstrong Anya is the daughter of the only Jewish family in her village. When her family's livelihood is threatened by a bigoted magistrate, Anya is lured in by a friendly family of Fools, who promise her money in exchange for helping them capture the last dragon in Kievan Rus. This seems easy enough—until she finds out that the scary old dragon isn't as old—or as scary—as everyone thought. Now Anya is faced with a choice: save the dragon, or save her family.

Reviews

Kirkus

"This delightful series opener is an exciting blend of Russian and Jewish traditions."

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Publishers Weekly

"...a tale that never loses its sense of fun or wonder."​

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Jewish readers may find kindred spirits in Anya’s culture, and fans of a Russian setting won’t be disappointed by this immersive novel that ends in justice."

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Booklist

"An irresistible blend of moral quandaries, magic, humor, danger, and bravery. Imaginative details bestow a fairy-tale-like quality to the story, which will effortlessly ensnare historical fantasy fans."

Jewish Book Council

"Anya is a new and mem­o­rable Jew­ish char­ac­ter who has forged her way into fan­tas­tic literature [...] high­ly rec­om­mend­ed, not only for chil­dren but also for adults eager to find high-qual­i­ty fan­ta­sy books with Jew­ish themes."

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One Minute Books

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Gibson's Bookstore

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Interviews

with the Horn Book

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with Mike Thayer

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with Katia Raina

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with myself (as The Book Goat)

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