What We're Reading

Children's librarian Tracy Kampa (Contributed / Tracy Kampa)

A new picture book showing the joy of a snow day, a memoir in graphic novel about a boy and his family during the Cuban Revolution, and a middle grade book featuring a pocket bear—a good luck charm for soldiers going into battle.

On our latest installment of What We’re Reading, Grand Rapids Area Library children's librarian Tracy Kampa reviews these books, plus shares some of her favorite books from 2025 that she hopes will be recognized at the 2026 American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards on January 26.

New book recommendations

The Snowball Fight, written by Beth Ferry and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld.

The Snowball Fight is a new book by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld.(Contributed / HarperCollins)

Tracy's take: Sometimes a book comes along that is so Minnesotan, it demands to be shared--even if you feel like you've lived the plot yourself, perhaps too many times. Slowly, the ground is covered by white, each flake whooshing down to take its place among the others, until it is finally announced: snow day! The lure of the outside is great, and two young friends meet in the yards between their houses to start the intensive labor required to build the perfect fort from which to hold an epic battle. The snowballs fly until one friend must warn the other about imminent danger about to slide off the roof, and the snowball fight is necessarily abandoned for another winter joy. Soon, though, cold fingers and red noses force our intrepid adventurers inside for some hot chocolate with marshmallows, which reminds them of unfinished business still waiting in the yard. If you yearned for the joy of a snow day spent outside, or want to share this particular type of joy with friends who might live in warmer climates, check out The Snowball Fight, written by Beth Ferry and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld.

How to Say Goodbye in Cuban by Daniel Miyares.

Daniel Miyares' new book is How to Say Goodbye in Cuban.(Contributed / Penguin Random House)

Tracy's take: I love a good memoir, and a graphic novel memoir with defining illustrations is hard to beat. Carlos lived in Cuba with his family, including grandparents who owned a farm across the road, and an aunt who lived next door. He was happy playing with friends, catching tarantulas, and going to the beach with his siblings and his abuelo. After his father won the lottery, though, Carlos and his family packed up and moved to the city so his papi could open a furniture-making business. While Carlos adjusted to life in the city, however, Fidel Castro plots to take over Cuba from Batista. The political tension increases, and Carlos's life gets less predictable and significantly more frightening until the day his papi disappeared and Carlos's sense of safety crumbled into fear. Neighbors told on neighbors, private property was seized and quickly it became too dangerous to go to school. Carlos and his family are invited back to the country to stay with his abuela and abuelo until things might become safer in the city. A knock on the door reveals a monumental surprise. which ends in a terrifying journey. This book, How to Say Goodbye in Cuban, is the story of the author's father, a story kept quiet until many decades had passed. It is a significant historical memoir, and its importance is evident, especially as our country finds itself at historic crossroads. I very much appreciated this book, How to Say Goodbye in Cuban by Daniel Miyares. And I think you might too.

Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate.

Katherine Applegate's new book is Pocket Bear.(Contributed / Macmillan)

Tracy's take: Anybody know what a pocket bear is? I didn't until I read Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate and did a little deep diving. Pocket bears, also called mascot bears and soldier bears, were tiny stuffed animals, usually around three and a half inches tall, that soldiers would tuck into their pockets as both a safety talisman and a reminder of loved ones at home. Along with their tiny size, a hallmark of the bears was their slightly turned up eyes. So when the pocket was opened, often in the mud of the trenches, the bear would be looking at the soldier. These mascot bears reached their height of popularity during World War I. The pocket bear in Applegate's story is the lead stuffy at the Second Chance's home, where stuffed animals are washed, mended, and given another go at it. The home is run by Elizaveta and her daughter Dasha, themselves refugees and victims of the war in Ukraine. Told through the eyes of Zephyrina, a cat who wanders through the night and often brings gifts home to Elizaveta and Dasha, Pocket Bear is chock full of hope, wonder and a whole lot of love and care during a time when this world needs a lot of that. Super short chapters makes this a wonderful read aloud. Next time you're at the library, check out Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate.

Youth Media Awards 2026 Children's librarian Tracy Kampa's favorite books for the 2026 Newbery Award.(Contributed / Publisher websites)

Tracy Kampa’s favorite time of year has arrived. The American Library Association announces their Youth Media Awards on January 26. Among the many awards honoring children’s literature include the Coretta Scott King Awards, which are given to outstanding African-American authors and illustrators; the Michael L. Printz Award, awarded to a book that exemplifies excellence in literature for young adults; the Pura Belpré Awards, presented to authors and illustrators who best portray the Latino experience; the Robert F. Sibert Medal, given to the best informational book; and many, many more.

The two “big” awards have historically been the Randolph Caldecott Medal, given to the best illustrations in a picture book, and the John Newbery Medal, given to the book that has made the most significant contribution to children's literature in the past year.

Tracy has spent a great deal of time over the last year thinking about and reading up on which book will be awarded the Newbery Medal. While it’s hard to predict which books will win, she noted that her favorite book was The Trouble with Heroes, by Kate Messner.

Tracy also hopes these books will be recognized for an award on Monday:

• Pocket Bear, by Katherine Applegate;
• The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, by Aubrey Hartman;
• Will’s Race for Home, by Jewell Parker Rhodes;
• The Winter of the Dollhouse, by Laura Amy Schlitz;
• All the Blues in the Sky, by Renee Watson;
• A World Without Summer, by Nicholas Day; and
• Death in the Jungle, by Candace Fleming.

Visit the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards page for more information on these awards.

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.

J.R. Dawson is the author of The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World.(Contributed / Bookcover—Macmillan; author photo—Caulene Hudson-Pace.)

On the shores of Lake Michigan there is a waystation for the dead.

The newly departed make way through the streets of Chicago each night, drawn to the lighthouse where they will reckon with their lives before stepping aboard a boat to be transported to the beyond.

The station master Harosen and his daughter Nera tend to the station and the dead, but one night they discover a visitor who is still very much alive: Charlie, who is grieving over the death of her sister. This is J.R. Dawson’s second novel — The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World — an atmospheric and poignant story.

J.R. Dawson is a writer currently living in Minnesota. In a What We’re Reading interview, she explained how the story was inspired in part by her fascination with the Great Lakes. After growing up in the plains of Nebraska, Dawson attended college in Chicago, where she became in awe of Lake Michigan.

“The fact that this really vibrant city just stopped at the waterfront and at night, there was this huge dichotomy between all of the lights in the city and then just like the blackness of the lake," she said. "And I saw it in Milwaukee, too. And I just went to visit Duluth for the first time and Lake Superior is a whole other monster.”

Central to the story is grief and how we carry it with us as we continue on with life. Dawson recounted the painful deaths of her grandmother and a close friend and noted that despite the years that pass, the grief remains; we never stop grieving in some form or another.

But as with the characters in The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World, Dawson noted that we find ways to carry on with our lives, whether we are grieving our loved ones who have died or grieving things happening on a larger scale.

"Our country is going through a grief and has been going through a grief of, ‘Wow, everything's on fire,’" Dawson said. "OK, well, I can't be on fire the whole time. So how do I allow myself to take these moments of, like, eating a really good pizza or listening to a really good song or connecting with a very cool person, while people are dying and things are crumbling?

"So it's that juxtaposition of, ‘How do we live?’ I bring up the metaphor in the book of a flower growing through concrete. And that was taken from my grandma's favorite book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. How do we continue to grow when there's cement everywhere?”

Learn more about writer J.R. Dawson and her work 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.

Children's librarian Tracy Kampa recommends these new books.(Contributed / Penguin Random House and Macmillan)

Grand Rapids Area Library children's librarian Tracy Kampa reviews and recommends books for What We’re Reading. Her latest recommendations include a new picture book on cats by Maddie Frost and a fascinating book about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. Also a new middle grade book by Dan Gutman and a graphic novel adaptation of the classic book Tuck Everlasting.

Picture books

Cats on Cats on Cats by Maddie Frost.

Tracy’s take: Every weekend, Beatrix visits her Granny. They are a dynamic duo, and a weekend with Granny is filled with new places to go and new treasures to acquire. Beatrix, though, is sad when each weekend draws to a close, believing that Granny will be lonely without her. So, Beatrix fixes the situation by gifting Granny a cat.

But Granny thinks that Beatrix obviously wants to play with cats at Granny's house, so she acquires more cats. And when Beatrix jokes, slightly desperately that they might need more cats, Granny, of course, gets them. Wouldn't that be what a fun grandma would do?

Beatrix, though, has long reached her cat limit and comes up with an ingenious plan B, the details of which made me laugh out loud. While maybe not the most thought-out plan, never fear, as Granny's emergency yarn saves the day. Of course, all is sorted out by the end with a hint of the future on the last page spread. I absolutely adored Cats on Cats on Cats by Maddie Frost. And I think you will too. It is not only great fun, but helpful as well, as this fun granny is now contemplating the advisability of attaining a handbag large enough to carry around a ball of emergency yarn. Really, don't miss it.
                                                                          
Just in Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault by Megan Clendenan and Brittany Cicchese.

Tracy’s take: Sometimes I am in awe of how much I can learn from a simple picture book. Many of you may be familiar with the global seed vault on the island of Svalbard, Norway. For those of you unfamiliar, here are some facts that I learned in 10 minutes with the beautiful and essential picture book: did you know there are over 580 million seeds in this seed vault, as each type of plant life on Earth might have hundreds or thousands of varieties? Some plants are facing extinction because of not only climate change, but also the fact that humans just don't use them. There are more than 20,000 plants that humans can eat, but today we rely on only 12 major crops for our food, and even varieties of those crops can grow extinct if they are not used and cultivated.

Can you imagine the stress of being in charge of all the potential food on Earth? The first withdrawal from the vault happened after refugees fled war in Syria. Before they escaped, citizens sent 116,000 varieties of seeds to the Svalbard Vault. After settling in Lebanon and Morocco, 38,703 varieties of seeds were retrieved and planted. Those varieties of seeds have since been replenished in the vault.

Want more? The back matter of this book is fantastic, and all this knowledge is beautifully wrapped in a stunner of a picture book. Please check out Just in Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, written by Megan Clendenan and illustrated by Brittany Cicchese.

Middle grade books

The Picasso Curse, by Dan Gutman.

Tracy’s take: Dan Gutman is an author with one of the most sought after of all abilities, true kid appeal. He is probably best known for his My Weird School series and his Baseball Card Adventure series. I am always eager to put a new Gutman on the shelf, and his latest, The Picasso Curse, is a great addition to our collection. Indeed, I was helping a patron find a book the other day. She saw The Picasso Curse on the shelf and exclaimed, “I loved that book!”

Edwin Hodge hemmed and hawed before he paid $10 for a Kobe Bryant poster at a flea market. When he took it out of the frame to tape it above his bed, another piece of paper fluttered out. It was a doodle, and as Edwin described, it kind of looked like a woman's face, and at the same time, it kind of didn't.

After introducing the story, Gutman spends a couple of chapters of true history, how the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911, and how Pablo Picasso was questioned by police as a suspect in the case. Who knew?

Edwin's teacher still encouraged show-and-tell for her 12-year-olds. So, Edwin brought in his Kobe poster and the doodle he found behind it. That might have been that, but his art teacher caught a glimpse of the doodle that sends Edwin and his family down a rabbit hole that included a trip to Chicago to verify that, indeed, Edwin had unearthed an early Picasso. How to keep it safe, the decision to sell or not, and trying to figure out who broke into Edwin's house in search of the doodle, all leads Edwin to believe that he, too, has been a victim of Picasso's curse. In Edwin's case, as his family deals with the pros and increasing cons of owning a piece of art that could be worth millions of dollars, he feels it just isn't worth it. What he decides to do with the doodle, however, very much surprised me.

Uniquely, the reader is completely pulled into the end of the story, and the outcome relies on their choices. Gutman finishes with a fantastic author's note about who really stole the Mona Lisa, now that we know it wasn't Pablo Picasso. If someone in your life is looking for a great read, check out The Picasso Curse by Dan Gutman.

Tuck Everlasting: The Graphic Novel by K. Woodman-Maynard.

Tracy’s take: It's been a while since we've talked graphic novels, but I've got a great one to share with you today. Remember that graphic novels, which are essentially book-length, completely illustrated stories, are outstanding for our brains, as the reader needs to interpret the pictures as well as decode the words. If a reader in your life is hooked on graphic novels, that is a cause for celebration, as their brains are getting a great workout. If you've never tried a graphic novel, I've got an excellent place for you to start.

Tuck Everlasting won a 1975 Newbery Honor Award. You may remember it tells the tale of 10-year-old Winnie Foster, a lonely child from a wealthy family. Winnie meets the Tuck family and discovers their secret: they inadvertently drank from a spring that guarantees eternal life. After the Tucks know that Winnie holds their secret, they take her to their cabin to try to convince her not to tell the world. Meanwhile, a new gentleman in town convinces Winnie's parents, who believe that Winnie was kidnapped, that he knows where she is, and he will lead them to her in exchange for a deed to some land they own, which happens to hold the spring from which eternal life can be gained.

The book does an excellent job of raising thoughtful questions without handing the answer to the reader. The graphic novel adaptation is superb and very true to the story. The story leaves the reader to question what they might choose were they in Winnie's shoes.

The most unique part of this graphic novel, however, might be the back matter, where the author-illustrator shows exactly how this graphic novel was born. From several readings of the book to hundreds of sketches and paintings, I was left with a significantly better understanding of the process behind graphic novel creation. If you know a graphic novel enthusiast, or if you have never read one and would like to try it out, I highly, highly recommend this one. Don't miss Tuck Everlasting: The Graphic Novel, masterfully adapted and illustrated by K. Woodman-Maynard.

Happy reading!

Children's librarian Tracy Kampa (Contributed / Tracy Kampa)

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.

Katherine Rundell is the author of The Poisoned King.(Contributed / Book cover—Penguin Random House; author photo—Nina Subin)

“The great dragons are dying in their dozens. Nobody knows why.” With this, the adventures begin in book 2 of Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures series, The Poisoned King.

Katherine Rundell is an internationally best-selling author of fiction and non-fiction, and her work includes the books The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer and Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne.

Impossible Creatures was published in 2023 and introduced us to the Archipelago, a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years, and Christopher Forrester, a boy from London, or the “outerlands” to those from the Archipelago. Christopher is tasked with being its guardian.

In The Poisoned King, we are introduced to Anya Arden, Princess of the Island of Dousha whose grandfather the king has been murdered and her father falsely accused and imprisoned. When it becomes clear that she is in danger as well, she sets off to get justice and revenge for her father. We learn that the dying dragons are connected to the poisoned king and Christopher and Anya unite in their quests.

In a recent What We’re Reading interview, Katherine noted that for the plot of The Poisoned King she borrowed from Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet.” Both stories have an uncle who the protagonist is sure has committed the murder, so they seek justice and revenge.

She explained, “Anya finds herself torn from her normal life and into this new adventure in which she first needs to essentially solve a murder mystery, but then she needs to face the fury within her own heart, and she needs to decide where her love and passion and rage can go.”

Where Hamlet famously pretends to be crazy to fool his enemies, Anya realizes that she must also wear a mask—to hide her rage. She pretends to be sweet and innocent to hide that she knows the truth. Katherine noted how she writes to “salute the idea of a child’s intelligence” so she doesn’t shy away from expressing real love, real courage or real anger.

“I think we live in a world in which young people, and in particular young women, are not always allowed to feel their rage, to truly know their anger. And I think anger can destroy you. It can burn everything, but it can also be a weapon for justice. And Anya's journey is learning how to take that anger and use it not for destruction, but for the creation of something new. “

Katherine also notes how fantasy can be an effective vehicle to teach children about humanity. She explained, “I do think that one of the great things about fantasy is that you can offer such a range of ideas in a fairly short book. Fantasy is…one of the first ways that I, as a kid, encountered philosophy, encountered big ideas about truth and endurance and courage and death.”

And despite the themes of revenge and justice, Katherine also wanted her readers to be drawn in to experience lighter moments, in particular: jokes.

She said, “I think the best way to salute a child's intelligence has always been and will always be with a good joke. I think a good joke honors us all. And so, I make sure…that there are also every range of joke, from the kind of more sophisticated ones that an adult would delight in, and also just really straightforward fart jokes, because I think, we ignore the pedagogical importance of a fart joke at our peril.”

Book three in the Impossible Creatures series is in the works and will be released in 2026. Katherine also revealed that Disney Studios has acquired the rights to adapt the series into film and she will write the screenplay.

More information on The Poisoned King can be found here.

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.

Chris Kraus is the author of The Four Spent the Day Together."(Contributed / Book cover—Simon & Schuster; author photo—Alan Marcus)

Chris Kraus is the author of several novels and books on cultural criticism including Aliens & Anorexia, Torpor and I Love Dick--an epistolary novel which was adapted for television.

She was born in The Bronx, and has lived in New Zealand, London, New York and Los Angeles and has spent summers in northern Minnesota, which plays a prominent role in her new book.

The Four Spent the Day Together is a novel in three parts. The first tells the story of Catt Greene, a girl very in tune with the constraints of social class growing up in Milford, Connecticut. In the second part, a middle-aged Catt has just bought an idyllic summer home in Balsam Township in Minnesota with her husband but struggles with his alcohol addiction. The third part is a fictionalized retelling of the 2019 kidnapping and murder of a man in Hibbing, Minnesota, referred to as “Harding, Minnesota” in the book.

Kraus has been known to draw from her own life in her writing and this is reflected in her character Catt Greene--from her childhood and adolescence to her career as a writer and living alongside an addict.

Yet, she doesn’t consider her work autobiographical or autofiction. In a recent What We’re Reading interview Kraus explained, “My life is there, but it's not exactly the point of the book. I'm not writing the book for the purposes of revealing or excavating or investigating my own life. I'm investigating other things. I'm investigating things in the world ... other people, people close to me, lovers, friends, family, but also political and cultural larger questions that I encounter in the world.”

But how did Balsam, a small township in northern Minnesota, become a focus of The Four Spent the Day Together? Again, Kraus drew from events unfolding in her life for this story. She and her husband purchased a summer house in Balsam and at the end of the summer in 2019 she read about a kidnapping and murder in the local paper.

Kraus explained, “I was immediately really interested in it because it involved teenagers and because my partner…was working with kids like these. He had a job in the town that's called Great Woods in the book, working basically at a juvenile detention center. And I thought, ‘Oh my God, did these kids pass through his office?’ Because most of them had been involved in child protective services, foster care and juvenile detention in the past.”

“The four of them spent the day together” was a phrase in the newspaper article that stuck with Kraus and became the title of the book. She said, “It was the durational nature of the crime that really caught my interest. It wasn't just a killing on the spur of the moment. It was a kidnapping that culminated in a killing. And that made me very curious about what went on during the almost 24 hours where they kidnapped the victim.”

This true crime turn in the third part of the book includes Kraus's investigation and interviews with the perpetrators and really highlights issues of social class, poverty and meth addiction in the Iron Range.

And this is also where we see the connections between young Catt and middle-aged Catt. Kraus explained, “Catt and Brittany, in a sense, could have been the same person, separated by 40 or 50 years.”

Kraus also noted how satisfying it has been to connect through this book with people who live alongside addiction, noting a shortage of memoirs by those affected by someone else’s addiction. She said, “Addiction itself is very well documented. There's a gazillion addiction and rehab recovery memoirs, but very little representation of the experience of the family members and friends of the addict.”

Learn more about Chris Kraus’s book The Four Spent the Day Together here.

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.

Cameron Crowe's new book is The Uncool: A Memoir.(Contributed / Simon & Schuster)

In the span of about six years, music journalist Cameron Crowe had interviewed many musicians for Rolling Stone magazine and written the book that would eventually become the 1982 classic teen movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. What’s even more fascinating about those six years? This all started when he was just 15-years-old.

Crowe would go on to write and direct some memorable and influential movies, including a couple of my favorite films: the critically acclaimed 1989 movie Say Anything, starring John Cusack and Ione Skye; Singles, the 1992 film set amidst the Seattle grunge scene; and the 2000 cult classic Almost Famous, a film based on Crowe’s early years writing a cover story of the fictitious band Stillwater while touring with them.

But I’m digressing—The Uncool focuses mostly on Crowe’s work as a music journalist. And this book is a popular music lover’s dream.

Growing up in Southern California, Crowe, propelled by his intelligent, controlling, yet charismatic mother, was on his way to graduating high school at age 15. Her plans for him included college, then law school. According to his mother, he was to be the youngest lawyer in the country.

But in April 1964, Crowe attended his first concert—a young Bob Dylan in a school gymnasium. Crowe writes about the performance “I was seven years old, and I was going to be a lawyer, like my great-grandfather. Like Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. But I did know this: I sure wanted to go to another concert.”

When Crowe was 14-years-old, his older “cool” sister Cindy introduced him to the local underground newspaper the Door, where she was working. By this time Crowe had been consuming as much music and music reviews as he could get his hands on and the editor of the Door agreed to let him write his own record reviews, which eventually led to him interview bands.

One of the first bands Crowe interviewed was Wild Turkey in 1972. The interview was set for a concert where they would be opening for Black Sabbath, who he was able to sneak an interview in with. Crowe would go on to interview Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Allman Brothers Band, Elton John, Joni Mitchell and many, many others. His young career reached new heights when Rolling Stone magazine began publishing his interviews as cover stories.

Crowe’s writing is solid, but what makes this book shine is the way that Crowe, now in his late 60s, can conjure what it was like for his 15-year-old self meeting these now legendary bands and musicians, and how he was able to connect with them.

At times I found myself outright jealous of this teenage boy. Hanging out with Led Zeppelin? Bruce Springsteen? Meeting a young new singer named Emmylou Harris? Many of these artists famously would not allow interviews, especially with Rolling Stone magazine yet Crowe often got unprecedented access, with some artists specifically asking for him by name.

Speaking of names, there’s a good amount of name dropping in The Uncool, which I found entertaining, and an interesting glimpse into a world unknown to most of us. Crowe’s prank phone calls to Cary Grant and Lucille Ball are particularly delightful and I hope you get a chance to experience them.

At some point however, the ride ended. His relationship with Rolling Stone began to show cracks, despite the exclusive interviews he was providing them. This however, provided Crowe a chance to reflect on where he’d been and where he’d go next.

Now only 21, he muses “I never really had the time to do the things that most kids my age did… I’d jumped into the ocean of adulthood and ultimately got caught in a riptide…I skipped too many grades. I skipped adolescence. I’d traded it for a backstage pass.”

Crowe would go on to enroll undercover as a senior at a local high school, giving him a chance to have a real senior year, and to write about a typical American high school experience. This led to his book and subsequent movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Crowe’s mother Alice remains a touchstone throughout The Uncool. While she doesn’t give up hope that Crowe will eventually go to law school, she doesn’t stand in his way of traveling all over the country with rock bands, knowing the rumors of rampant sex, booze and drugs. Alice never stops offering advice through her famed aphorisms which are peppered throughout the book: "Turn every loss into a victory" or "Count your blessings! Leave the funeral.” Crowe leaves plenty of room in The Uncool to show love to his family.

The Uncool gifts us with our own backstage pass to a bygone era of music. Crowe’s experiences astounded me, especially his one-on-one time with artists. He spent weeks with David Bowie and with Led Zeppelin. He even lived with Glenn Frey and Don Henley for a short time and was there in person at the inception of some of the Eagles’ biggest hits.

But most importantly, The Uncool is a reminder of how music moves us, brings us together, and stays with us like the best memories.

More information on Cameron Crowe and his book The Uncool can be found here.

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.

Mike Herbert is the author of They Answered the Call.(Contributed / Tammy Bobrowsky)

BEMIDJI — In 2022, now-retired Bemidji State University criminal justice Professor Mike Herbert published his book honoring the former Bemidji State College men who were killed in WWII: Leaving Campus: a World War II Epitaph.

Now, Mike has just published another book — this time, focusing on the women in Beltrami County who volunteered for military service. They Answered the Call: Minnesota's Beltrami County Women Who Served in the Military During WWII is the result of two years of searching through Bemidji State University archives, social media, the National Archives, and genealogy and military websites.

In a recent What We’re Reading interview, Mike explained that after writing Leaving Campus, he wanted to turn his focus to the women’s stories.

“I thought it was important that we keep their memories alive, too," he said. "They were just as brave and served our country honorably and they deserve to be recognized.”

While the exact number of Beltrami County women who served in WWII is difficult to calculate, Mike was able to collect the histories of 102 women. Women in WWII served in all four branches of the military, as well as in the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, a civilian organization.

Though women did not serve on the front lines in WWII, their work was often dangerous. Mike explained artillery shells or aircraft crashes were typical circumstances that resulted in women dying in service. Again, with no official source, Mike estimated around 500 women died in service in WWII — but none of those women were from Beltrami County.

Aside from a drive to serve their country, these women of Beltrami County shared a sense of adventure and bravery. Mike noted the women in his book likely faced harassment and a stigma associated with women serving in the 1940s, but they weren’t going to settle for less.

“They were very brave women," he said. "And I'm not saying other women weren't. I'm just saying that they were extraordinary in the fact that, ‘I'm going to go do this thing and I'm going to face the obstacles.’"

More information on They Answered the Call can be found here, or check your local library or bookseller.

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.

Native American authored books recommended by librarian Tracy Kampa.(Contributed / Images from publisher websites)

Grand Rapids Area Library children's librarian, Tracy Kampa, shares her recommendations on new children’s books for What We’re Reading.

Picture books

After an update to her library’s collection of Native American books around 10 years ago, Tracy remembered how limited the library’s options were for new books by Native American authors. Thankfully, that has changed over time.

With the arrival of a recent book order, Tracy was struck by how many titles are now from Native American authors.

Publishers like Heartdrum and Black Bears and Blueberries Publishing out of Cloquet are now introducing more and more books by Indigenous authors into the world. Tracy is thrilled that these books are now so readily available and shares her recommendations on new picture books by Indigenous authors:

• I Am Not a Costume, written by Maria DesJarlait, illustrated by Regina Alice Wilman. DesJarlait is an Ojibwe author with ancestral ties to both North Dakota and Red Lake. This is an outstanding primer on cultural appropriation and a good book about finding and using your voice.
  
• Remember Who You Are, written by Leona Prince and Gabriella Prince (members of the Lake Babine clan of the Dakelh people in Canada), illustrated by Sara General. This is an empowering reminder of the rich and vast culture into which today's Indigenous children are born.
  
• Charlotte's New Moccasins, written by Jenn Moudahi, illustrated by Rhael McGregor. Moudahi and McGregor, both Métis, tell the tale of young Charlotte who has outgrown her beloved moccasins and heads to her grandma's house for new ones. Not only is it a lovely story about family and tradition, but it includes fantastic background matter about the importance of moccasins, both in the past and today.
  
• Moon Song, by Michaela Goade. Moon Song is by Caldecott medalist Goade, from the Raven moiety and Kiks.ádi clan from Sitka, Alaska. A companion to her summer-centered Berry Song, Moon Song finds a girl telling a winter story to her young cousin. The journey ends in the glorious light that can be found on a cold winter's night.
  
• And They Walk On, written by Kevin Maillard, illustrated by Rafael López. Maillard is a member of the Seminole Nation. You might remember his marvelous book, Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story. His new book is an ode to those who came before us and leave before us. A young boy remembers his grandma and wonders now that she has walked on, where exactly has she gone? He finally realizes that we are all walking on, and will always be walking, together. It is a beautiful tribute to not only those loved ones who have walked on, but to their ever-present connection to those still here.
  
• Grandmother Moon, written by Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason, illustrated by Trisha B. Waters. Lamb-Cason, a member of the Schaghticoke/HoChunk Nation, shares the story of a granddaughter who spends weekends with her grandma on the reservation. On their weekly journey, her grandmother tells her cultural stories, like the story of Grandmother Moon, and how she is always watching over her people, protecting them, through all 13 moon phases of the year.

Middle grade books

Tracy Kampa also recommended two new middle grade books.

Tracy Kampa recommends two new books by Kate DiCamillo and Kate Messner.(Contributed / Book covers from Penguin Random House and Bloomsbury.)

Lost Evangeline, written by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Sophie Blackall.

Tracy's take: Nobody can write a fairy tale like Kate DiCamillo. She creates characters that you cheer for and builds a world for them that, while it may be dangerous, is also full of hope. Always hope and light.

The third book in her Norendy Tales, Lost Evangeline, feels like a story you may have heard before — in all the best ways. A poor shoemaker discovers a tiny girl in the toe of his boot. He names her Evangeline and raises her as his daughter. His wife is not at all happy, but Evangeline and the shoemaker are really quite happy. As soon as the opportunity arises, of course, the shoemaker's wife sells the girl to a man who overheard her beautiful singing voice.

Evangeline, though, is not only smart, but she's also clever. She manages to escape a series of tough situations with the help of a cat and a boy. When she works herself back to the shoemaker's house, he is gone — off to the sea to look for his daughter. His wife remains at home, alone, counting the gold coin she received for the tiny girl.

Evangeline heads to the sea to find her father. Will they ever reunite? Not by the end of the story, but remember, this is a DiCamillo: the ending is full of hope and especially light. A welcome familiarity and a reminder that stories will always go on are hallmarks of the beautiful Lost Evangeline, part of the Norendy Tales by Kate DiCamillo, with illustrations done by the incomparable Sophie Blackall.

The Trouble with Heroes, by Kate Messner.

Tracy's take: I am knee-deep in my search for Newbery-worthy titles of 2025. These months leading up to the announcement find me scrambling to read what I've somehow missed. I just finished one book that, in my eyes, is a strong contender.

We first meet Finn Connolly in the time between the cemetery vandalism, as reported in the newspaper, and his first court appearance. He is charged with seriously damaging a headstone and never denies that he alone is responsible. Finn is surprised then when he is offered a deal by the daughter of the woman whose stone he overturned. If Finn manages to summit 46 peaks in the Adirondack Mountains during the summer, the charges will be dropped.

Finn is reluctant. Obviously, his mom can't take that much time off work to go with him. But Kelly, the daughter, assures Finn that all is taken care of. Finn will be accompanied by a series of chaperones, each of whom has reasons not known to Finn, who want to spend time with our juvenile-not-really-delinquent. Oh, and he has to bring the dead woman's dog with him.

Hike after hike after hike after hike, the reader is witness to Finn's transformation, and Finn's story is slowly revealed. The story involves heroism during 9/11 and subsequent mental health and addiction battles. It also touches on feelings of abandonment and unworthiness, a journey that includes his dad's ashes, the healing properties of nature, not to mention an absolutely perfect ending.

And there might be an incident with a bear, but I'm not gonna ruin that for you, except to reassure you that the dog probably doesn't die. Told in verse and sprinkled with both photographs and cookie recipes, this is my first five-star read of 2025. Please, please don't miss The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner, and then gift a few dozen copies to all your closest friends of any age.

Children's librarian Tracy Kampa (Contributed / Tracy Kampa)

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.

Will Weaver is the author of Black Dirt, Bright Stars.(Contributed / Book cover—Calumet Editions; author photo—author)

BEMIDJI — Minnesota novelist Will Weaver is back with his second novel in the Haugen family saga--Black Dirt, Bright Stars. It follows his 2023 novel Power & Light, where we first meet the Haugen family: four siblings of Norwegian immigrants struggling to make a living off their farm in northeast North Dakota.

Black Dirt, Bright Stars picks up from Power & Light after the family lose a court battle against an evil and powerful man. As the story moves forward, justice is never far from their minds.

Spanning from the 1940s to the 1980s, Black Dirt, Bright Stars is told mainly through the point of view of Jenny, the youngest Haugen, as she steps up and leads the family forward. In a recent What We’re Reading interview Will Weaver said of Jenny, “She is easy to underestimate, but that is at your peril.”

The themes that enriched the story behind Power & Light continue on in Black Dirt, Bright Stars: immigrants struggling with language, culture and agency. But the main focus in the new novel is the family.

Will explained, “I'm very interested in the, what we'll call the arc of family: how families grow and thrive, or become stuck in neutral, or in some cases, peter out. And I wanted to show in particular this immigrant family gaining agency in America. And agency is land for them. And agency is power and land is power. But to see the family grow and come into modern times was a really fun thing for me to create.”

In talking about Power & Light previously, Will shared how the story helped him unpack a dark part of his family’s history—namely their hardships as immigrants to this country and an assault against his great aunt for which there was no justice. With this new book, Will feels his ancestors have been honored.

He said, “I think there was a great catharsis for me finishing Black Dirt, Bright Stars…It’s impossible to apply justice retroactively, but at least it can be addressed, and it can be honored. People's lives can be honored in retrospect. And I feel like I've done that and done justice to my old family, as I call them, my great aunt in particular, and saluted our Midwest along the way.

Will Weaver is the award-winning author of Black Dirt, Bright Stars, Power & Light, and several other books. You can find more information 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.

Children's librarian Tracy Kampa recommends 5 new children's books. (Contributed / Publisher's websites)

A middle-grade thriller taking place in Martha's Vineyard. A lovable knight who tries to turn every night into taco night. And you won't believe who's behind the new rendition of the classic Grimm fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel!

On our latest installment of What We’re Reading, Grand Rapids Area Library children's librarian, Tracy Kampa, gives her take on these and other books just waiting to be your next read.

Every Monday Mabel, written and illustrated by Jashar Awan.

Tracy's take: Every Monday, Mabel has a destination. She grabs a chair and pulls it through her house, past her big sister, stops in the kitchen to pour herself a bowl of dry cereal to take along. She goes past her mom, And then her dad. She pulls her chair out to her driveway and enjoys her bowl of dry cereal while she waits and waits and waits. Then she hears the rumble in the distance. And finally, the best thing in the world is finally here. The huge truck with flashing lights stops in front of Mabel's house, and she watches in awe as the trash can is lifted, dumped, and set back down. The garbage truck honks as it roars off, and Mabel gathers her empty bowl and starts to drag her chair back to her room. Mabel is so glad that she didn't miss the truck. But she is a little sad that everybody else missed the best thing in the world, as the rest of her family were very busy inside. Maybe, though, Mabel is not the only one who waits for the garbage truck. I was delighted by this book, Every Monday Mabel, by Jashar Awan. I think you will be, too.

Hansel and Gretel, written by Stephen King, illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

Tracy's take: I've been a consumer of children's literature my entire life, and certainly for the last 32 years as a children's librarian. Not many book collaborations give me pause anymore. Until I heard that an author had been approached to reimagine a new Hansel and Gretel based on costume and set designs for an opera of the story that had been left by none other than Maurice Sendak after his death in 2012. You may remember Mr. Sendak for Where the Wild Things Are, or In the Night Kitchen, or any one of the dozens of other titles he wrote. When these sketches came to light, the powers that be thought they would still make a marvelous children's picture book, so of course, the perfect author for this dark and witchy tale was approached, and Stephen King agreed to take on the task. Not only does it work, but King has fleshed out the story to the benefit of the original. Certainly not for the youngest listener or reader. I think older children, and certainly fans of Sendak and/or King, should embrace this new collaboration. It is a bright spark in the world of fairy tales. Don't miss Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King and Maurice Sendak. I've never in my wildest dreams thought I'd say that.

It's Taco Knight! Written by Megan Maynor, illustrated by Estrela Lourenco.

Tracy's take: I think I might have a new favorite picture book. Well, for this week anyway. First, an introduction to this utopia, this modern-day Eden, this newfound Shangri-La. The story begins, “Once, there was a kingdom of busy, clever people. After a full day of being busy and clever, they simply did not have time to cook. Still, they were always well fed because this kingdom was served by the Knights of Dinner.”
The story goes on to explain that each evening, one knight was in charge of dinner: Soup Knight, Sandwich Knight, Pizza Knight, or Noodle Knight, among many others. And as the story explains, no knight was everybody's favorite, but every knight was somebody's favorite. But who should arrive in their midst? Yes, it was Taco Knight. Ready in 30 short minutes, the people welcome taco night with open arms. Taco night then took over for all the other nights, because who doesn't love taco night? Well, I won't ruin the ending, but please remember that variety might be the spice of life. If you are looking for a delightful story that will probably make you wish you could move to this kingdom, check out It's Taco Knight by Megan Maynor with delightful illustrations by Estrela Lourenco.

Blood in the Water, by Tiffany D. Jackson.

Tracy's take: Tiffany D. Jackson is a master author of more than 200 books, mostly for young adults. She was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults at the 2025 Youth Media Awards. Blood in the Water is her first foray into middle grade writing. Kaylani McKinnon is off to Martha's Vineyard to spend a month with her dad's former employers and their grandchildren. She's not looking forward to it, as she would much rather spend her time this summer trying to figure out a way to get her dad released from prison, as she is sure he did not commit the white-collar crimes of which he was convicted. Her mom and dad, however, want her to have a summer of fun and so off she goes. She is reintroduced to the Watsons, who own a mansion on Martha's Vineyard, and their granddaughters, London and Cassie, who are less than thrilled to be hosting Kaylani. Although there are strict rules in the Watson household, the girls break most of them by Kaylani 's second day on the island. A party on the beach for the cool kids was too good to miss, and Kaylani was introduced to all the happening teens on Martha's Vineyard. Before the sun rises the next morning, however, one of those most popular teens is dead. A shark attack, drowning, or something far more sinister, Kehlani is committed to finding answers, and the clues come regularly.

I have to admit, though, that I was surprised by who had done it. It was my favorite way to end a mystery--going back to look at the clues one more time, wondering how I could have missed it. I also appreciated learning a bit about the history of Black Americans on Martha's Vineyard. If you are looking for a well-written mystery, don't miss Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson.

Bad Badger: A Love Story, by Maryrose Wood.

Tracy's take: Septimus Badger is, in his own reasoning, a bad badger. He has spots instead of stripes and prefers to live in a cottage with easy access to his opera records, his chamomile tea, and his omelet pan. To his understanding, there are other badgers that live in the forest, but he's more than content in his cottage. One day, Septimus meets a friend, a seagull whose name is Gully. While Gully prefers to communicate with caws, Septimus soon grows to understand his friend. One day, Gully bestows Septimus with a beautiful gift. and then doesn't return. Now, don't be sad. It'll all be okay. This isn't one of those books. Septimus sets out to look for his friend and encounters all sorts of helpful critters: real badgers who live in the forest and assure Septimus that there are other badgers who look just like him, private detective snails, and ultimately, Gully's flock. Septimus finally does find Gully in a place most surprising.

This book is both gentle and enthralling and would make a wonderful read aloud. Think of a book-length Frog and Toad, and you'll get the vibe. I hope there is a second in the works because I need more Septimus. In this busy, increasingly unfamiliar world, I hope you too can find a friend in Septimus. Please seek out Bad Badger: A Love Story by Maryrose Wood, illustrated by Giulia Ghigini.

Happy reading!

Children's librarian Tracy Kampa (Contributed / Tracy Kampa)

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.