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ANNOUNCING THE NEW
"READING THE WEST" PROGRAM
from Mountains & Plains
Read!
Exceptional new books and authors
from the Mountains & Plains region.
Relax!
Titles have been chosen with care by
independent booksellers in the region.
Refresh!
New selections will be introduced at regular intervals throughout the year.
OTHER SELECTIONS
Click here for August 2009 Selections
Click here for October 2009 Selections
Click here for December 2009 Selections
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by Jacqueline Kelly
Published by Henry Holt
Books for Young Readers
Jacqueline Kelly’s debut novel for young readers presents spirited heroine Calpurnia (Callie) Virginia Tate, a middle child with six brothers, growing up in the isolation of Fentress, Texas in 1899. To her family’s dismay, Callie is stubborn, independent, and not interested in darning socks or perfecting her baking skills like a lady. “I would live my life in a tower of books,” she thinks to herself. She spends most of her time with Harry, “the one brother who could deny me nothing,” slowly befriending her Granddaddy, a mysterious naturalist who studies everything from pecan distillation to microscopic river bugs. Together they dream up experiments and seek answers to backyard phenomena, discovering something new about the invisible world each day. Callie follows her passion for knowledge, coming to realize her family “had their own lives. And now I have mine.” Callie’s transformation into an adult and her unexpected bravery make for an exciting and enjoyable read. The author’s rich images and setting, believable relationships, and a touch of magic capture a year of growing up with unique sensitivity and a wry wit. Ages 10 and up.
–Publishers Weekly |
by Rick Collignon
Published by
Unbridled Books
The fourth novel in the acclaimed series from author Rick Collignon that includes THE JOURNAL OF ANTONIO MONTOYA, PERDIDO, and A SANTO IN THE IMAGE OF CRISTOBEL GARCIA.Collignon returns to the fictional town of Guadalupe, New Mexico and continues the strange mystery of Madewell Brown, who arrived in Guadalupe one day in the 1950s, lived there quietly for seven years, and abruptly left. A bag with his name on it has been gathering dust in Ruffino Trujillo’s garden shed until Ruffino’s son Cipriano discovers it and unpacks a photo of a Negro League baseball team and a stamped envelope addressed to Obie Poole of Cairo, Illinois. Retired baseball player Obie has passed away, and the letter lands in the hands of his friend and caretaker, Rachael, who believes that Madewell is her grandfather. Obie’s narrated flashbacks fill in the details as Rachael and Cipriano begin parallel quests to uncover the truth about Madewell’s life and death and their ties to events kept hidden for decades. Straightforward prose and well-drawn characters, married to fragmented memories of racism and violence, make for a compelling tale and an absorbing read.
-Library Journal
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