Newbery and Now: Interview with Daniel Nayeri

Daniel Nayeri is an award-winning author of young adult literature, including his recent The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story (Levine Querido, 2025), which was declared a Newbery Honor book for 2026. He was born in Iran and after several years as a refugee, he moved to Oklahoma around the age of seven. The Teacher of Nomad Land, his most recent book, has also won the National Book Award. Some of his other works are Everything Sad is Untrue (A True Story), which won the Michael L. Printz Award, the Christopher Medal, and the Middle Eastern Book Award; and The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams, which was his first Newbery Honor book. Before writing, he worked as a publisher of Odd Dot at Macmillan Publishers, and he studied writing at New York University.

What are your hopes for this book and what do you anticipate it will accomplish in the world? Is there a message you are hoping younger readers will take away from this book?

I hope they meet Babak, Sana, and Ben. To recognize them as people and remember them fondly as friends they knew for a while.

How did you get the idea for this book?

I was curious about Iran during World War II and started reading the history. To hear it described as a neutral territory where Polish and Jewish refugees waited out the war alongside British and Soviet soldiers, even German spies, everyone crowded in among the Iranian people, was such fascinating imagery that I couldn’t get it out of my mind.

I know when I was young, I would always get very excited when I saw Newbery medal winners at the library and the bookstore. As a kid, it was this official “stamp of approval” on books that I would find. Considering the ageless fame of the Newbery medal, how did it feel when you found out you were a Newbery winner for this book?

I was the same way. Those stickers mean the world, especially to young readers. To have one on my book implies to me that I might get to do this for a little while longer. There’s no better gift than that. Longevity, in this business, is the only prize.

What was your favorite childhood book and/or author when you were younger? Any former Newbery winners that stand out?

The Hobbit is the first answer to this, but the world of Brian Jacques in Redwall is the other. Calvin and Hobbes was extremely formative for me. And of the former Newbery winners, I would say A Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli is the kind of story, and kind of prose, that I admire more and more every time I think about it.

Who do you think were some inspirational writers or teachers in your background that helped guide you to where you are today?

I had a teacher named Ms. Harold who scolded me once for getting a 92 on a test. I had barely studied and managed the A-minus, and I thought that was hot stuff. She must have overheard me talking about it and offered a look of such disappointment. She said that for me, that might as well have been a failing grade, because I could have done better but let myself down instead. It was the first time a teacher demanded that I form a standard for myself. Whether that standard is higher or lower than the group average was irrelevant to her. In a different class, perhaps a much lower grade, honorably earned, would be sufficient. Whatever it was, she wanted us to hold ourselves accountable and I never forgot that lesson.

What is your writing process, particularly with this book?

I read about a topic, taking notes but usually making mental notes until it feels like I’ll burst or lose memories if I don’t start writing. At that point I get my notebook, pick a song that matches the mood, play the song on repeat, and start writing. After I’m done, I transcribe it all into my computer and beat myself up, wondering if I wasted years of my life. When my wife reads it, she tells me if it’s good or if it needs work, and hers is the opinion we follow, or else I’d delete it all.

What advice would you give to people aspiring to become writers?

Be kind to yourself. Be cruel to your work.

What are your favorite books or genres to read outside children’s literature?

I love anything great in its field, and I don’t love any genre enough to read less than the best it has to offer. I love comics and manga and picture books and historical fiction. I’ve been reading a lot of poetry, a lot of middle grade adventure, animal fantasies. I love well-designed puzzle books, sticker books. The measure of a cookbook, of course, is the results, but also the intuitiveness of the instructions. Fairy tales are always a favorite.

Do you have any more books planned or in progress?

I’m excited about an experimental project, a hero’s journey, set in a world of fables and folktales, told in a format wherein each spread is formed by the visualized text—akin to a concrete poem, where the words shape the story. It’s called This is a Door.

You can order The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story here.

Interview conducted by Johnna Ryan