September 9, 2021
The following is a selection of books written by authors featured in the 2021 Central Wisconsin Book Festival (CWBF)!
From fiction to nonfiction to poetry, this year's CWBF will be a great opportunity for members of the community to hear from notable writers with diverse backgrounds.
Check out the following items before or after the festival to explore their creations:
ADULT FICTION
"RAFT OF STARS"
Fleeing into the woods believing that they have accidentally murdered an abusive parent, two young boys, unaware that they have become the focus of a desperate search, navigate dangerous natural threats in their effort to survive.
"MODERN JUNGLES"
As a five-year-old boy, Pao Lor joined thousands of Hmong who fled for their lives through the jungles of Laos in the aftermath of war. After a difficult and perilous journey that neither of his parents survived, he reached the safety of Thailand, but the young refugee boy's challenges were only just beginning.
"BOUGH CUTTER"
When grouse hunters stumble upon a body in the backwoods, Sheriff John Cabrelli works to untangle the complex case, while stressed relationships, public outcries for justice, and pressure from the media compound the situation.
Additional works by this author:
"THE WEAVER'S REVENGE"
When offered a rare opportunity to help develop a fledgling historic site dedicated to Finnish American history and heritage, curator Chloe Ellefson journeys to the remote Northwoods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In addition to the consultant job, she's on a personal quest to learn about the enduring tradition of rag rug weaving. Encountering a dead body upon arrival, however, immediately puts that goal in jeopardy.
Additional works by this author:
"BENEATH THE FLAMES"
To prove himself as a professional fire fighter, Mitch Garner leaves both his Wisconsin farm and the love of his life to work in Milwaukee. He is assigned to Milwaukee Fire Department Station 5 located in what is known as "the core", where residents have faced poverty, hardship, racism, crime, hopelessness and little compassion.
"THE STREEL"
Brigid, an Irish immigrant fleeing the potato famine, must clear her brother’s name and manage his mining claim in Deadwood, South Dakota after he is suspected of a grisly crime in the first novel of a new series.
Additional works by this author:
- "Lake of tears"
- "Blood country"
- "Frozen stiff"
- ...and many others
"MALIBU RISING"
Set against the backdrop of the Malibu surf culture of the 1980s Malibu Burning follows the daughter of a famous singer who, once she finds fame, must grapple with the fact that her father abandoned her and her siblings when they were young.
Additional works by this author:
CHILDREN'S BOOKS
"POKKO AND THE DRUM"
The award-winning illustrator of "My Name Is Elizabeth!" presents the story of a little frog, Pokko, who takes a magical drum deep into the quiet forest, where her playing draws the attention of musical animal friends.
Additional works by this author / illustrator:
- "My Name Is Elizabeth!" (illustrator)
- "The Brilliant Deep" (illustrator)
- "Warning: Do Not Open This Book!" (illustrator)
- "Please, Open This Book!" (illustrator)
- "The Gold Leaf" (illustrator)
- "The Bad Mood and the Stick" (illustrator)
"PEACE"
From saying hello and pronouncing your friend's name correctly to giving more than you take and saying I'm sorry, this simple concept book explores definitions of peace and actions small and big that foster it.
Additional works by these authors:
- "I am Farmer"
- "Adventures to School"
- ...and many others
"ASTRID AND APOLLO"
Astrid is afraid of the dark and doesn't want to go on her family camping trip. But her twin brother, Apollo, is excited. When they encounter scary things such as crawly bugs and the creepy dark, Apollo helps his twin through them. And when they encounter the scariest thing of all, Astrid might just be the one to save the starry campout.
"SHIRLEY & JAMILA SAVE THEIR SUMMER"
Befriending an unusual girl after moving to a new neighborhood, Jamilia discovers that her new friend is the community’s best kid detective and becomes a crime-solving partner to help a young boy track down his missing pet gecko.
"ON THE GO AWESOME"
A high-energy depiction of the many ways that people travel invites young transportation enthusiasts to imagine themselves as the drivers of everyday through extraordinary vehicles, from trains and planes to excavators and rocket ships.
Additional works by this author:
- "Catkwondo"
- "Right This Very Minute"
- "1, 2, 3, Jump!"
- ...and many others
"CREEKFINDING"
Oona is the last duck to the pond every morning, but when her frog friend Roy reminds her how gifted she is with gadgets, Oona gets busy inventing crafty ways to get there first.
Additional works by this author:
"THE LINE TENDER"
Following a tragedy that further alters the course of her life, twelve-year-old Lucy Everhart decides to continue the shark research her marine biologist mother left unfinished when she died years earlier.
"WHAT IF A FISH"
Eleven-year-old Eddie Aguado is convinced that winning the 14th Annual Arne Hopkins Dock Fishing Tournament (once he actually learns how to fish) will bring him closer to his dad, who died when Eddie was only five.
"THE SHARK BOOK"
This magnificent celebration of one of the world’s oldest species explores the lives, habits and types of sharks, which have captured our imaginations and astonished us for thousands of years.
Additional works by these creators:
"ROCK ON KINDNESS!"
The story tells of a 7 year old girl named Ally, whose favorite hobby is painting and hiding rocks to bring happiness to others.
TEEN BOOKS
"WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE"
This inspiring and educational book presents examples of LGBTQ+ activism throughout Wisconsin's history for young people to explore and discuss.
"THE GREATS"
Winning a national high-school geography competition should be the high point of Jomon's life. So why does he find himself running through the streets of Georgetown, Guyana, later that same night -- so angry and desperate?
Additional works by this author:
ADULT NONFICTION
"HOPE IS THE THING: WISCONSINITES ON PERSEVERANCE IN A PANDEMIC"
In March 2020, as a pandemic began to ravage our world, writer and professor B. J. Hollars started a collaborative writing project to bridge the emotional challenges created by our physical distancing. Drawing upon Emily Dickinson's famous poem "Hope is the thing with feathers," Hollars called on Wisconsinites to reflect on their own glimpses of hope in the era of COVID-19. The call resulted in an avalanche of submissions, each reflecting on hope's ability to persist and flourish, even in the darkest times.
"MY JOURNEY FROM BOXING RING TO BOARDROOM"
Far more than a business memoir, "From Boxing Ring to Boardroom" follows Héctor Colón from his challenging childhood through his international boxing success to his current position as CEO of one of the Midwest's largest nonprofit organizations.
"WHY BUSHWICK BILL MATTERS"
An astute chronicle of the life and cultural significance of Bushwick Bill, who remixed spectacle as he exposed and exploited ableist and racist assumptions to become a singular voice in rap and the relentless battle over free speech in the United States.
Additional works by this author:
"ALL THE ADAMS IN THE WORLD"
From the earliest days when she knew “something is wrong”, to helping Adam mature into a young man who lives independently with support, "All the Adams in the World" tells Sheila's thirty year journey of confronting the obstacles, attitudes, and frustrations along with the love and joy that comes with acceptance.
"LITKA"
These are memoirs about a happy family with three children in Poland, whose normal life was disrupted by the outbreak of WWII in 1939. They were written by the youngest daughter Litka, who just turned 10 at the time when the war started.
For more about the Central Wisconsin Book Festival, visit www.mcpl.us/cwbf!
Ben Krombholz / IT Technician
image credit: Image by Ben Krombholz, Marathon County Public Library staff.