2007 Newbery Honor Book Award Winner
Kirby Larson To Attend
the Helena Festival of the Book and Montana Festival of the Book
Missoula, MT —Sept. 29, 2008—Students in Montana will get a special treat this October when award winning author Kirby Larson visits the State. Larson will participate in the Gala Reading at the Helena Festival of the Book on Friday, October 10, 2008, at 7:00pm at the Holter Museum of Art, immediately following the Book Fair and Reception. Leading up to the Montana Festival of the Book, Larson will speak at Arlee Elementary and Ronan Middle School. On Friday, October 24, 2008, at 11am, author John Clayton will interview Larson for the Montana Festival of the Book. The interview is open to the public and will take place at the Missoula Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park.
Larson’s award winning book, Hattie Big Sky, is the 2008 selection for One Book Montana. “I am overwhelmed by the selection and so excited to have the chance to participate in both the Helena and Montana Festivals,” said Larson. In addition to writing, Larson has been doing workshops and presentations for schools for nearly 20 years. Her presentations encourage creative writing and imagination and are appropriate for school age students as well as adults. Larson’s new book, Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival, released in August. Co-written with her good friend, Mary Nether, it is the true story of a cat and dog whose friendship helped them survive Hurricane Katrina. For more information check www.twobobbies.com.
For more information on the Helena Festival of the Book check www.helenabookfest.com. For more information on the Montana Festival of the Book check http://www.umt.edu/humanitiesmontana/BookFestival/bookfest.shtml.
ABOUT – Hattie Big Sky
The story, inspired by Kirby’s great-grandmother, is about 16-year-old Hattie Brooks and her drive to prove up on a claim in eastern Montana in 1918. The book’s received praise from Newbery Medal winning author, Karen Cushman; acclaimed author, Candace Fleming; and actress Jane Kaczmarek; was honored with the 2007 Montana Book Award, in addition to receiving a Newbery honor award, and has been nominated for more than a dozen state young Reader’s Choice Awards. The title was also a Junior Library Guild selection; School Library Journal named Hattie a Best Book of the Year, Starred review: School Library Journal, Starred review from Booklist. For more information, visit our website at http:// www.hattiebigsky.com or contact Michele Kophs, Event Coordinator, at 360.597.3432.
ABOUT – Two Bobbies
About two-and-a-half years ago, Mary and Kirby met at a writing conference. Right away they discovered many things in common: they both had cats, sweet tooths, and a passion to write books for children. Since that first meeting, the two friends have written many books on their own. Mary’s titles include the forthcoming The Famous Nini: The Mostly True Story of a Plain White Cat Who Becomes a Star! Kirby’s titles include Hattie Big Sky, a 2007 Newbery Honor book and The Magic Kerchief.
Two years ago, they decided to try collaborating on a book. They were pretty sure the story would involve animals but that was all they knew. Then Hurricane Katrina hit. Mary watched CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and learned about Bobbi and Bob Cat. “When I saw that interview, “said Mary, “I knew the Bobbies’ story of friendship and survival was a story of hope for all of us.” She called Kirby right away. “It was easy to say yes,” said Kirby. After going to Louisiana and Mississippi to help with the clean-up and rebuilding efforts, “I wanted to use my writing skills to bring attention to the overwhelming needs of the Gulf coast region,” she said. Both Mary and Kirby agree that the story of Bobbi and Bob Cat, animal best friends was the perfect one for them, human best friends, to tell. The authors are donating ten percent of their proceeds to Best Friends Animal Society.
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