What We're ReadingHost and staff librarian Tammy Bobrowsky interviews authors and talks books with community members. Be a part of our online What We're Reading Community on Facebook where you can get great book recommendations from other community members and let us know what you're reading!
Host and staff librarian Tammy Bobrowsky interviews authors and talks books with community members. Be a part of our online What We're Reading Community on Facebook where you can get great book recommendations from other community members and let us know what you're reading!
Nash's new novel asks: What if you could hold on to time?
David Nash is a singer/songwriter and author of the novel In Wells' Time.(Contributed / David Nash) LA CRESCENT — When it came to writing, David Nash had focused on songs and music for a good part of his life. In a recent What We're Reading interview, the La Crescent, Minnesota singer songwriter recounted that his first venture into writing novels was when he was inspired to turn a song of his about Paul Bunyan into a book. The Man in the Pines, a reimagined life story of the folk legend, was published in 2018. David's second novel In Wells' Time was published in 2024 and was recently named a Minnesota Book Award finalist in the Novel/Short Story category. In Wells' Time tells the story of a family trait, or curse, depending on how you see it: some members of the Monasmith family are able to stop time. The son, Wells, has developed the ability--which leads to the question: what would you do if you could hold on to time? Despite the time-stopping elements, In Wells' Time isn't a work science-fiction--the story is more focused on characters, personal relationships and family. The time stopping aspects are nuanced and serve more as a mechanism for readers to think about what time means to us and how we spend it. David explained that the idea behind the story, "What if you could hold on to time a little bit longer? What would you do with that time? It gets to sort of the deeper questions of 'How do we use our time and what is valuable to us?' " As the story progresses, we learn there are dire consequences to the gift of time-stopping, and that Wells has a tough decision to make. David compared this to addiction, and also noted some anxiety he was working through shortly after his youngest child was born. "I remember waking up in the middle of the night and just [thinking], 'They're growing so fast, and time is moving so fast,' and that was the worst train of thought to get in at 3:00 AM when it's dark and you think of space and eternity...and that did at least spark some of that concept of what if I could slow it down? Hold on to a hug a little longer." As a musician, it's no surprise that music plays a role in David's stories and in his writing process. On the publisher's webpage for his book is a playlist of songs that either inspired his writing or show up in the book, including artists such as Regina Spektor, Alabama Shakes, Bob Dylan, Gillian Welch, and Minnesota artist Humbird. David explained, "I really like having music around, and if it's the right music sometimes I can just flow with it in a way. Humbird, who's a regional musician and a wonderful person, her album Pharmakon--I would just put that on and usually it fit with about the time that I had to write, so it actually kept as like a pacesetter for me and I could... write through a scene and it kind of let me get out of the way of myself." In Wells' Time is David's first book to be recognized by the Minnesota Book Awards. In January, his book was listed as a finalist with 3 other books, with the winners to be announced April 22. Being a finalist has David stunned. He said, "It's an honor. Exciting. It's bizarre. Unexpected. It's all just sort of a strange journey in a way...It feels maybe a little bit like Imposter Syndrome. And I'm excited to meet these other finalists and I'm excited and thankful just to be a part of it and that the book is resonating with some people." David will continue to work on music and writing. He's working on a collection of stories due out in 2026 called The Burnt Wood Anthology, along with other writing projects. You can learn more about David's music and writing on his website. Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234. What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
Nash's new novel asks: What if you could hold on to time?
A dark force haunts a Minnesota casino in Staples' new novel
Dennis E. Staples is the author of Passing Through a Prairie Country.(Contributed / Cover—Counterpoint Press; Author photo—Alan Johnson Photography) BEMIDJI—Dennis E. Staples is a writer from the Bemidji area and a member of the Red Lake Nation. His debut novel This Town Sleeps was published in 2020—a thrilling story taking place in Northern Minnesota blending Ojibwe legends with the modern world, and featuring Marion LaFournier, a mid-twenties gay Ojibwe man whose family has ties to sacred power. Marion's story continues in Dennis's new novel Passing Through a Prairie Country. In this story, fresh from a breakup with his boyfriend, Marion leaves town for a break, but stops at the Hidden Atlantis Lake Resort and Casino where he is reacquainted with his cousins Alana and Cherie and has an encounter with a dark force known as the sandman. In a recent What We're Reading interview, Dennis described, how among other influences, a trip in middle school to visit with Minnesota writers played a role in his path to becoming a writer. He recounted, "I remember meeting the writer Mary Casanova who does children books with a lot of animal themes, and that got me really excited and motivated." Over the years, Dennis has found inspiration from other writers as well, like Clive Barker and Louise Erdrich. But for his newest novel, Dennis's inspiration for the dark spirit, the sandman, came to him while in college at Bemidji State University. He explained, "I took a myth class that involved reading a lot of Ojibwe and Greek myths...One book called Wisconsin Chippewa Myths & Tales by Victor Barnouw--it describes some of the common tropes that were found in a lot of the stories and some of them had to do with what would basically be like an anti-medicine man or anti-shaman." Dennis further explained that this anti-medicine man would take the shape of an old man who "binds his will over his victims and trap them in a distorted reality." This element brings an evocative and atmospheric tone to the story. The characters, and sometimes the readers, can't entirely trust their senses or what is being presented to them. Dennis described his process for writing for this effect, citing the influence of other authors. He said, "It's a hard thing to navigate. But I think that there's a few different authors who helped me move toward that way: Thomas Ligotti, who does a lot of supernatural horror fiction, and John Cheever, a short story writer. They have...these really broken up narratives that will kind of present you scenes in almost montage fashion, but at the same time, you know you're following this one thread." Learn more about writer Dennis E. Staples and his books at Counterpoint Press. On Tuesday, March 18, Dennis will be talking about Passing Through a Prairie Country with writer Justin Holley. The event will be at 6 pm at Four Pines Bookstore in Bemidji. More information can be found on their website. Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234. What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
A dark force haunts a Minnesota casino in Staples' new novel
Willa Hammitt Brown takes on the lumberjack lore in new book
Willa Hammitt Brown is the author of Gentlemen of the Woods. (Contributed / Book cover—University of Minnesota Press; Author photo—Penny McCoy) Paul Bunyan and the lumberjack lore is strong here in Northern Minnesota with our roadside attractions, festivals and other namesakes. But the history of the lumberjack has complex roots, as explained by writer and historian Willa Hammitt Brown. Growing up, Willa spent a lot of time in Minnesota's Paul Bunyan country – one of her earliest childhood photos is of her sitting in the giant cupped hand of the Paul Bunyan statue in Akeley. In her new book Gentlemen of the Woods: Manhood, Myth, and the American Lumberjack, she dives into the past and separates fact from glorified folklore revealing the real lumberjack and his place in American history. In a recent What We're Reading interview, Willa spoke to the conflicting versions of the lumberjack illustrated in her book--one of "filth and iniquity" and the other more wholesome, gentlemanly folk-hero that inspired Paul Bunyan. She explained, "The truth really lies in the balance between the two." As towns and business grew in the Northwoods between the 1870s to 1900, a growing middle class trying to attract people to the area, as well as corporations trying to retreat from the lumber business after striping the land of trees, worked to dismiss the commonly held stereotype of lumberjacks as "transient workers with no ethics, no home...filling towns with sin." A more wholesome image of the lumberjack arose from this but wasn't very accurate either. Willa strived to include the lumberjack point of view in Gentlemen of the Woods, but firsthand accounts were hard to find. She explained, "What's interesting is to try to see it from the lumberjacks' point of view but you're talking about men who are mostly illiterate, who are transient, who don't leave a ton of records. And those records they do leave, a lot of people don't think to give--it's why I spent so much time in really small-town archives because that's where some of that will end up--if it ends up anywhere. There's a point where I was even putting out classified ads in newspapers: 'Does anybody have their grandfathers' stories?'" Gentlemen of the Woods also speaks to the invention of Paul Bunyan, originally created for an advertisement; the broken treaties with the Anishinaabe by "renegade white loggers" who considered the land as "resources to be reaped, not resources to be kept and used generationally"; as well as current day use of the lumberjack icon and folklore for nostalgia and tourism. The book is well written, extensively researched and includes many illustrations, photographs and images which greatly enrich the reading experience. Learn more about Willa Hammitt Brown and Gentlemen of the Woods on her website. Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234. What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
Willa Hammitt Brown takes on the lumberjack lore in new book
Minnesota writer Schultz wraps up supernatural thriller series
Jennifer Schultz is the author of the Shaka Reed Series.(Contributed / Jennifer Schultz) Jennifer Schultz walks two paths. On one, she is a registered nurse in Northern Minnesota. On the other, the writer of the Shaka Reed Series of supernatural thrillers. Among her influences are H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood and Stephen King. But she notes that the true source of her writing comes from "an unknown place which begs to be expressed." Hearts of Prey is book 2 of the Shaka Reed Series by Jennifer Schultz(Contributed / Jennifer Schultz) The Shaka Reed Series starts with Hearts of Prey where we are introduced to Shaka, a woman living in Northern Minnesota who has always felt like an outsider because of her secret ability as a shape shifter. While Shaka has managed to keep this ability a secret, known only to her grandfather, events unfold and Shaka learns that there are other shapeshifters in her new friend Winston and others with abilities like her friend Rena. A charming stranger Aiden ignites a strong attraction in Shaka but also opens the door to the wrong people learning her secret. Shaka's thrilling adventures continue in book 2, House of Stars, and Jennifer Schultz has just published book 3 in the series, Height of Dreams. House of Stars is Jennifer Schultz's 2nd book in the Shaka Reed Series.(Contributed / Jennifer Schultz) In a recent What We're Reading interview, Jennifer revealed that the idea for the series came to her in a dream. "I was on the outside looking into this building and I saw three people sitting at this table talking and I didn't know what they were, but I could tell who they were: Winston, Adrian and Shaka. I could tell that there was something special about Winston and Shaka, and Adrian was kind of like their ally...I knew it was something magical." Jennifer went into writing her first novel Hearts of Prey without a vision of it being a trilogy. She explained, "I just wanted to write a book... As I got further into Hearts of Prey, I thought, 'Yeah, I think there will be at least a sequel, possibly a trilogy out of this.' And then by the time I started Height of Dreams, I knew it was going to be the last book." Now that the series has wrapped up, Jennifer has new paths to consider, but they will definitely involve writing. She said, "I'm sure I'll continue to write. It's just I don't know where it takes me. I never quite know until I'm already walking on that path." Learn more about Minnesota writer Jennifer Schultz and her books on her website. Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234. What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
Minnesota writer Schultz wraps up supernatural thriller series
NPR correspondent Linda Holmes' new novel smart and romantic
Linda Holmes is the author of Back After This.(Contributed / Author photo—Cassidy DuHon; Book cover—Ballantine Books) A podcast producer becomes the subject of a new show on modern dating where she agrees to have a social media influencer coach her through 20 dates with 20 men. Will a love match outside the show stir things up? This is at the heart of writer Linda Holmes' new novel Back After This. Holmes is the author of the novels Flying Solo, and Evvie Drake Starts Over. She's also a pop culture correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR) and a host of the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. Back After This draws from Holmes' experience working in radio and podcasts. In a recent What We're Reading interview Holmes described why she wanted to incorporate this into the story. "I think a lot of people don't know a ton about the world of how audio and podcasts are made and it just seemed to me that it would be fun to put a little bit of that stuff in there, and to recognize the work of all the producers and editors who have essentially made the career that I have now possible--that was sort of a bonus for me." As a fan of romantic comedy movies, Holmes often uses rom-com themes in her books. In Back After This, the love interests in the story meet while chasing a very large dog down the street. Holmes explained, "I love a meet-cute. I love a dog. So, it's just a matter of mixing elements that I love in a way that feels both familiar and hopefully a bit fresh." Back After This is a smart, enjoyable, and satisfying read. Learn more about writer Linda Holmes and her books on her website. Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234. What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
NPR correspondent Linda Holmes' new novel smart and romantic
Female monsters, free will at odds in Barker's 'Old Soul'
Susan Barker is the author of Old Soul.(Contributed / Cover/Putnam; author/Tom Barker) British novelist Susan Barker is the author of The Incarnations (2014) and The Orientalist and the Ghost (2008). She ventures into the world of highbrow horror with her beautiful and terrifying novel, Old Soul. The story starts with two strangers who learn that people they've both recently lost were involved with an enigmatic woman shortly before their deaths. One of these strangers, Jake, begins an investigation that will take him around the world and discover truly chilling and terrifying things about the character known as "the woman." In a recent What We're Reading interview, Susan Barker explained that her inspiration to write Old Soul came from watching the horror/mystery film It Follows (2014). Barker explained, "It's about a curse that's passed amongst a group of teenagers. And they're stalked to death by this entity. I think the film kind of appealed to me on every level--it was visually stunning, emotionally moving and also really terrifying." As Jake gathers more and more chilling testimonials from others who lost loved ones to the woman, a portrait of what she is and why she is ruthless in her pursuit of her victims slowly comes to light. We learn that she never goes by the same name, she doesn't stay in one place too long, and she never seems to age. But what is she? Barker wanted the story to revolve around a female monster to play against conventional values. Her antagonist in Old Soul is solipsistic, only concerned with her own survival—which may appear seemingly anti-feminist. But Barker countered, "I think there might be something feminist about having a female monster that so strongly rejects the conventional values that women are supposed to conform to. For example, being nurturing and maternal and empathetic and kind--I think there's something interesting in her rejection of those values." Another theme that Barker wanted to explore in Old Soul is art. Several characters are artists: from a sculptor and a painter to an experimental dancer and social media content creator. Barker admitted that she'd always admired visual artists whose creations are more physical and immediate than writing. Writing Old Soul gave her the opportunity to research and write about artists. She said, "I think I just wanted to vicariously experience being a visual artist and one way of doing that is just describing their artistic process in my own." For more information on Susan Barker and Old Soul, visit her website. Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234. What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
Female monsters, free will at odds in Barker's 'Old Soul'
Lived experiences of Minnesota climate scientist, policy advisor
Anna Farro Henderson is the author of Core Samples.(Contributed / Cover—University of Minnesota Press; Author photo—Craig VanDerSchaegen ) Scientist and environmental policy advisor Anna Farro Henderson's new book is Core Samples: A Climate Scientist's' Experiments in Politics and Motherhood. But in the prologue, she advises readers that the book is not "an explanation of science concepts or a guide to political procedure." In a recent What We're Reading interview Henderson described her book as "unprofessional writing about professional topics," referring to the accessibility of the book. She explained, "One of my big concerns is that people will assume this is something that is going to be hard or boring or technical before they even open it." Her ability to make research and political advocacy accessible, to show the human connections, balancing family and career, and still finding a kind of poetry in science makes this book of essays unique and compelling. Henderson declared herself a writer early, at the age of 10. With six siblings, she would frequently escape to her closet for quiet and to write. "I'd write on the floor of my closet, and I remember coming out and kind of announcing, 'I'm a writer!'" Her path would eventually lead to studying geology and climate science, where her writer's sensibility helped her connect with the science recorded in the Earth's history. She explained, "These concepts of science always felt like they were helping me understand my life and that they could be metaphors for life. I think the poetry is there, where it's both I want to understand the world and I'm confused about who I am and what it is to be a human...It's like they were in a dialogue with each other." Henderson's interest in climate science brought her to Minnesota, where she studied the human time scale of climate change on lakes. She said, "Lakes are really good archives collecting information on a time scale of a human life, changes in the landscape and changes in the climate. So, it was really like reconstructing how did past changes in climate happen? What did that look like? That helps us predict and inform climate models for the future." Henderson's work as a scientist eventually led to politics. She was an environmental policy advisor for Senator Al Franken and Governor Mark Dayton. At first, it was a big transition for her to go from research out in the field to sitting down at the table with politicians and advising on policy. Henderson explained, "I thought 'What am I doing here?' And within about a week, I was like, 'Oh my, I was made for this place.' In all of us are a spectrum of different kinds of personality traits and skills. When I was in science, I was using a narrow set of those — I had very little use of my personality or skills like talking or explaining things. Most of the time I was just working by myself in a room alone. In politics, you're interacting. You're talking. You're writing. The things you're writing are going to be sent on to the Senate floor. They're going to be in a headline. The urgency of everything that was happening, the high consequences, it felt like I'm finally using this part of who I am." But her expectations of what she would accomplish clashed with reality. Henderson believed that as a scientist and expert in climate science that the facts would make everything clear for everyone. "Every day in politics is just humbling because it's realizing that other people don't agree with you...It was really me coming and listening and being, 'Oh wow, there's a lot I don't know and I need to take this into consideration.'" Henderson eventually moved on from the political arena to dedicate time to writing. Apart from writing Core Samples, she's been teaching writing classes, running workshops on storytelling in science, and bringing community bookmaking projects to rural libraries. The shift from writing scientific articles to creative writing was something that seemed to feed Henderson's soul. In her book she points out how as a scientist, her writing required "erasing" the person and focusing on the science. She found that creative writing allowed her to express "the self" in the work she did and this is what makes Core Samples such a compelling book, taking readers deeper into Henderson's field work experiences and providing a more robust understanding of the work of science. She explained, "I think it's really compelling to understand the broader context of the work. People love adventure stories, and every scientific field exhibition is an adventure. If we don't tell people about the adventure. How will they see the wonder?" Find out more about writer Anna Farro Henderson on her website. Note: the audio here is an extended version of the interview that aired February 10, 2025. Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234. What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
Lived experiences of Minnesota climate scientist, policy advisor
The American Library Association's Youth Media Awards take place annually.(Tammy Bobrowsky / KAXE graphic ) The 2025 Youth Media Awards were announced Jan. 27 at the American Library Association's "LibLearnX" conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The annual awards ceremony recognizes the top books in children's and young adult literature from the previous year. Winner of the 2025 Newbery Medal .(Tammy Bobrowsky / Publisher Contributed ) The winner of the 2025 Caldecott Medal.(Tammy Bobrowsky / Contributed Media ) Grand Rapids Area Library children's librarian Tracy Kampa is an avid enthusiast of the award ceremony, specifically the coveted Newbery Award announcement, awarded to authors for "the most outstanding contribution to children's literature." In a recent What We're Reading conversation, Tracy explained how the winning books serve as a "signpost" for how well she's been developing her library's collection. Several books Tracy has reviewed for What We're Reading received honors this year including: Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All, by Chanel Miller (Newbery Honor); Louder Than Hunger, by John Schu (Schneider Middle Grade Honor); Black Girl You Are Atlas, by Renée Watson (King Author Honor); and The Wrong Way Home, by Kate O'Shaughnessy (Newbery Honor). But this year's Newbery Medal went to The First State of Being, by Erin Entrada Kelly. Chooch Helped, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz and written by Andrea L. Rogers, won the Caldecott Medal for picture book. Many libraries around the region already carry several of the winning titles. Tracy said, "I was very excited when all the awards were wrapped up to realize that the Grand Rapids Area Library has already purchased and owned all four Newbury honors, plus the winner, and all four Caldecott honors, plus the winner. We have a display up. If somebody wants to come down and check them out, they are here for you." The full list of award categories and winners can be found on the American Library Association's website. Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234. What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
Children's librarian Tracy Kampa's new recommended books. (Contributed / Publishers) Grand Rapids Area Library children's librarian Tracy Kampa is a contributor to What We're Reading and recently shared her recommendations for 3 new children's books and also her predictions for the upcoming Newbery and Caldecott book awards. New Recommendations Plain Jane and the Mermaid, by Vera Brosgol. Imagine yourself in Jane's shoes: her parents have died and have left no provision for her future because she is unwed. Her family's vast estate will be claimed by her nasty cousin Colin. What is she to do? Maybe propose marriage to a very handsome local boy who also finds himself in terrible strains? Again, though, Jane finds herself in a predicament when the local boy is captured by a mermaid and dragged to the bottom of the sea. Somewhat armed and ready, Jane is off to rescue her betrothed. While this story is certainly a fairy tale, the characters are not necessarily traditional, and the outcome may not be what you expect. I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful graphic novel. Mallory in Full Color, by Elisa Stone Leahy. Mallory Marsh is a people pleaser, wanting her friends and family to be happy. She doesn't even know her favorite pizza because she always just goes along with whatever her friends want. Mallory's hidden talent is her web comic which is published under the name Dr. BotGirl by their local comic store. Mallory keeps that part of her life secret--while she is 12, the minimum age to web publish is 13. Mallory meets Noah, who identifies as non-binary. Mallory begins to have feelings for Noah, but wonders what kind of person Noah expects her to be. With the help of Noah friends, a grandma drag queen story time and a librarian who turns out to be pretty cool (as most librarians are), Mallory begins to understand not only who she is, but what and who is important to her. So Cold! By John Coy, illustrated by Chris Park. A picture book with a Minnesota author, a Minnesota illustrator and published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, should feel rapidly familiar to most Minnesotans. So Cold! tells the story of a father and son who have been eagerly waiting for a day cold enough to do all the frigid weather tricks. When they wake up to -23, they know it's the day for pounding in a nail with a frozen banana to throwing wet jeans. The back matter includes information on the six experiments that you too can try. Whether you're looking for some new ways to have fun this winter or merely want to send a copy to warm weather friends to show them what you have to endure, I suggest you get yourself a copy of So Cold! by John Coy, illustrated by Chris Park. Award Predictions It's award season and the coveted Newbery Award for "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children" will be announced Monday, January 27, 2025. Tracy is well-known for her enthusiasm and excitement over the awards which are announced each year in January. The following are books she thinks will be considered for the award: A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall, by Jasmine Warga Not Quite a Ghost, by Anne Ursu Enigma Girls, by Candace Fleming Max in the House of Spies, by Adam Gidwitz Black Girl You are Atlas, by Renee Watso; The First State of Being, by Erin Entrada Kelly The Secret Library, by Kekla Magoon The Color of Sound, by Emily Barth Isler The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman, by Gennifer Choldenko Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All, by Chanel Miller; Tree, Table, Book, by Lois Lowry Kareem Between, by Shifa Saltagi Safadi Books children's librarian Tracy Kampa favors for the Newbery Award.(Contributed / Publishers) Tracy also has a top 5 list of her personal favorite books she's rooting for: 5. Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better, by Mylisa Larsen. This book speaks to a world colored by mental illness, where Quagmire has spent his life trying to cover for his mom when she spins out of control. The book is funny and meaningful and helps continue the conversation around mental illness. 4. Louder than Hunger, by John Schu. This semi-autobiographical book follows Jake through his intense battle with and treatment for anorexia nervosa. This book is written in verse and initially I was disappointed because I have a hard time selling books to some kids that. Written in. After I finished it though, I could only think that this was the perfect way to tell this powerful and important story. 3. And then, Boom!, by Lisa Fipps. Also written in verse, this book tells the story of Joe and his grandma, who are left alone by Joe's mom. And then boom! Joe is completely alone to fend for himself. This book holds a coveted place on my bookshelf. 2. On a Wing and a Tear, by Cynthia Leitich Smith. This will probably have no shot at the Newbery just because its audience is much smaller, but I expect it will do very well with the American Indian Youth Literature Awards, which are announced every other year. So, we'll have to wait until 2026 for those. A modern-day folk tale, On a Wing and a Tear combines elements of American Indian history, the Great American road trip, baseball, the pitfalls of social media, and a cast of phenomenally well-rounded characters. When I closed the cover, I thought, 'Wow, how did the author do that?' 1. The Wrong Way Home, by Kate O'Shaughnessy. Fern's mother takes Fern away from the only home she's known--the farm. Not disclosing her real reasons to Fern, her mother believes that they have fallen victim to a cult and she is trying to save them both. Fern, however, believes that her mother is very misguided and desperately tries to go home. But her desire to return leads her through very dangerous situations. The story line is unique for middle grade fiction, and I cheered for Fern and her mother. I think this book brings a lot to my shelves. The Newbery isn't the only award Tracy follows. She additionally shared her predictions for the Caldecott Medal, awarded to "the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children": Children's librarian Tracy Kampa's picks for the Caldecott Award.(Contributed / Publishers ) Jump for Joy, illustrated by Hadley Hooper, written by Karen Gray Ruelle; Home in a Lunchbox, written and illustrated by Cherry Mo; My Daddy is a Cowboy, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza, written by Stephanie Seales; Being Home, written and illustrated by Michaela Goade; The Yellow Bus, written and illustrated by Loren Long; and Touch the Sky, illustrated by Chris Park, written by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic. Will any of Tracy's picks end up with an award? We'll report back next week. Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234. What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
Librarians Tracy Kampa and Tammy Bobrowsky discuss Cynthia Leitich Smith's On a Wing and a Tear.(Contributed / Book cover via Heartdrum/HarperCollins ) Cynthia Leitich Smith's latest book features Grampa Charlie Halfmoon, his grandson Ray, their friend Mel, Great-Grandfather Bat, and Gray Squirrel. And a grand road trip. Smith's middle grade novel On a Wing and a Tear is full of great characters, good messaging, and wild adventures. Here's our What We're Reading mini-book club conversation between Grand Rapids Area Library children's librarian Tracy Kampa and What We're Reading producer Tammy Bobrowsky. This conversation has been edited for clarity. Tracy: Now let's talk about one of my favorite books, certainly of the month and possibly of the year. It's called On a Wing and a Tear, and it's by Cynthia Leitich Smith who is a Muscogee author. She is also an editor at Heartdrum, which is an arm of HarperCollins--they publish books by Native American authors, which I think is a wonderful addition to the world of children's literature. I particularly loved On a Wing and a Tear. In this book, Grampa Halfmoon, his grandson Ray, and their friend Mel are tasked to bring Great-Grandfather Bat and Gray Squirrel to a rematch of a famous baseball game played among the animals, where, eight hundred generations ago, Great-Grandfather Bat was the star. But right now, his wing is torn, hence the title On a Wing and a Tear. And he can't get there by himself. So here we start on the Great American road trip with Grampa, Ray, Mel and of course, Gray Squirrel and Great-Grandfather Bat. Now I have to start out by saying I am absolutely surprised how much I love this book, even as an adult, I don't love books with talking animals. And as a child, I detested books with talking animals because that just couldn't be real whatsoever. I didn't want to waste my time reading it. Tammy: Were you surprised that the animals were talking? Because it surprised me. Tracy: It absolutely surprised me. Honestly, on the front cover of this book--it wasn't until after I got far enough in to realize we had talking animals that I even looked inside the car and saw a bat hanging there and a squirrel. So, they are tasked with having to take Grandfather Bat and Gray Squirrel to this very important rematch of a game. So, what did you think, Tammy? Tammy: It's such a warm book. The characters are so likable. Grampa Charlie Halfmoon is just a wonderful character, and is unflappable, by the way. If you notice, throughout this entire book, it takes a lot to surprise him. He knows things that we are not privy to and that makes him a really interesting character. And Ray and Mel are just charming. I love their dynamic as friends. It is just such a heartwarming book and who doesn't love a road trip? Tracy: And I think the author did a phenomenal job of weaving indigenous history into this road trip without hitting the reader over the head with "Hey, this is indigenous history." In particular, Mel was working on homework that had to be finished, and she was very much taken part way through with the fact that they were driving along similar roads that her ancestors walked during the Trail of Tears. Tammy: I thought that was handled so nicely. Just the idea of 'how do modern day native people reconcile the past while being a Native American in this country today?' I think she did a really fabulous job with that. Tracy: There's a quote in here that I'd like to share that speaks exactly to that: "High above, clouds gathered, and the sky began to drizzle. Mel's mind wandered to what Great-Grandfather Bat had said about a tear in her heart, how spending time on her ancestral land could help mend it. It had sounded so strange to hear him put it that way. Mel had never thought of herself as being ripped away--that tragedy had happened generations ago to other people. But what if it had never happened? When she imagined centuries of Muscogee people immersed in their thriving culture, thousands of them fluent in in their tribal language, she couldn't help feeling the ache of loss." And I love how Cynthia Leitich Smith was able to weave that in without it being a book just about that. But I also really, really admired how well-rounded her characters were. Because Grampa Halfmoon--while he was certainly the driver, he was the driver in a whole other way. He was heading on this road trip because he needed to rekindle a romance. You know, he wasn't just the guy driving. He was the guy with the history and he was the guy with the contacts and he was probably the sole guy who could get Great Grandfather Bat back to where he needed to go. I also really, really loved how the author took a jab at modern day social media influencers. Tammy: We have to talk about the Buttinskys! Tracy: Yep, they are a brother and sister pair and they travel all across the country and "butt in" on things that have nothing to do with them in order to get views on social media. Tammy: I have to tell you this. As soon as we were introduced to the Buttinskys, I had to put this book down. I had the most visceral reaction to them. They just symbolize and represent so much that is bad about social media and certain aspects of the world today because of that nature of butting in and 'I'm right, you're wrong. And I've got to show you that I'm right'. I had to put it down. I was just in a place where I couldn't deal with people like that. So Cynthia Leitich Smith created really a perfect foil for the villain in this story because they are so unlikable. Tracy: Right. Because they think they might have heard Great Grandfather Bat speak--so therefore, what do you have to do? You have to kidnap Great Grandfather Bat and get him to speak on social media! Tammy: So, it sounds like Cynthia Leitich Smith knocked this one out of the park, right? Tracy: For me, it was absolutely wonderful--mostly because she took so many disparate pieces and made them into an astoundingly circular narrative, which I think is so difficult to do. I think it was definitely one of my favorite books of this year and that surprised me. And I would just like to point out--I think that Cynthia Leitich Smith wraps up a gift for all of us in this. There's native stories of reverence for the earth, the Great American Road trip, characters who are thoughtful and willing to learn, all wrapped up in a modern bit of folklore with talking bats and talking squirrels, and I really don't think I could have loved it more. Tell me what you thought, Tammy? Tammy: I think this is the perfect illustration of that saying, "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey?" This story is about the destination because they have to get Great Grandfather Bat to his destination. But so much happens to them on the journey, as far as, like you said, coming full circle with the various issues that they're working out--Ray had lost both his parents and he's still kind of struggling with that; Mel's father is divorced from her mother and he started a new family and she's trying to reconcile with what her relationship is with him and she figures that out on the trip; and then Grampa Halfmoon is able to reunite with a love from his earlier life. So, there was so much on the journey that just made this such a warm and wonderful story to just be with for a few hours. Tracy: Yeah, I loved to just sit in this story. I also was so intrigued at the end because I really assumed throughout the whole entire book that we would end at the baseball game and we would all be watching the baseball game between the mammals and the birds, and we were not allowed to watch that game. Very, very respectfully, Grampa Halfmoon explained to the kids that this was ancient, and it was traditional, and it was private. If they were invited, then they could be a part of that, but they weren't. So, we don't know what happened at the game, which I think is tantalizing and wonderful at the same time. Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234. What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
