State Library of Iowa unveils All Iowa Reads 2025 shortlists; adult selection decided by committee vote

The State Library of Iowa’s All Iowa Reads committees published their 2025 shortlists for adult, teen and children categories and announced virtual author events and distribution contacts for book sets. The adult committee chose Tim Johnston’s Distant Suns as its winner after a committee vote, organizers said.

The announcement came during a State Library webinar hosted by Janae Jackson Doring, youth services consultant and chair of the children and teen All Iowa Reads committee. Jackson Doring said the selection criteria require titles that “raise universal social issues relevant to Iowans,” lend themselves to sustained discussion, and be available in a variety of accessible formats by Jan. 1 of the selection year.

Why this matters: The All Iowa Reads program supplies book sets, discussion guides and publicity materials to libraries statewide; winning and shortlisted titles are used for local reading groups, programming and virtual author events. Organizers also emphasized accessibility and format availability as part of the committee’s decision-making.

Committee presentation and shortlists Leslie Heinzler, who identified her role as special services librarian at the Iowa Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, read the adult shortlist and discussed several titles the committee recommended for book-club discussion, including Timothy Egan’s A Fever in the Heartland, Beth Hoffman’s Bet the Farm and Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr. Kayla Becker of the Norwalk Easter Public Library described Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant by Curtis Chin and Leif Enger’s I Cheerfully Refuse, and praised the audiobook narrations for several titles.

The teen and children shortlists include nonfiction and fiction that the committee said address contemporary issues relevant to young readers. Teen selections noted in the webinar include Dashka Slater’s Accountable and Claire Forrest’s Where You See Yourself; children’s titles include Meg Eden Huiia’s Good Different and Gary D. Schmidt’s The Labors of Hercules Beal. Presenters emphasized that many middle-grade titles tackle difficult subjects — such as abuse or grief — and recommended librarians read titles and consult review sources when deciding placement.

Selection process and accessibility When asked how the adult winner was chosen, Kayla Becker explained that the committee’s vote produced a narrow margin: “It was just by a vote,” she said, noting Distant Suns won by two votes. Becker and other committee members said accessibility of formats played a role in narrowing candidates: committee members eliminated some widely known titles that did not meet the program’s accessibility criteria. The committee’s current guidance asks that titles be available in a variety of accessible formats (paperback, ebook, eaudiobook and other accessible versions) by Jan. 1 of the selection year.

Program resources, events and contacts Jackson Doring said State Library resources are available at statelibraryofiowa.gov/programs/all-iowa-reads, including discussion guides, press templates and book summaries. The library also scheduled free virtual author visits in June: Tim Johnston (Distant Suns) on June 17 (6:30–7 p.m., adults), Christina Wyman (children’s Jawbreaker) on June 18 (1–2 p.m., children) and Fylin Graves (teen Rezvol) on June 25 (3–4 p.m., teens). Registration opens in mid-April.

Libraries seeking book sets were given district contacts: Dory Bowles (Central and Southeast), Trisha Frazier (North Central and Northeast) and Amanda Grom (Northwest and Southwest). Helen Daigley, reference librarian and chair of the adult All Iowa Reads committee, described the committee terms and recruitment: adult committee members typically serve two-year terms and the committee size is intentionally limited (about eight members) to keep deliberations manageable; the children and teen committees generally limit membership to about five members.

Discussion guidance and placement advice Webinar speakers recommended librarians preview titles and consult professional reviews (School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly) to determine shelf placement when books include mature themes. Janae Jackson Doring said children and teen committees meet by Zoom and encourage potential volunteers to contact staff; Helen Daigley said individuals may express interest midyear and be considered when vacancies arise.

Looking ahead The State Library asked libraries to promote the shortlist and the June virtual author events, and to request book sets through the district contacts. Organizers said they look forward to next year’s selections and urged librarians to use the provided discussion guides for programming.