Read Around North America Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in North America.
Best books from North America (2030)
1901.
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise EN
Country: North America / 
United States of America
United States of America
Description:
*Indie Next List Pick* *Junior Library Guild Selection* “An appealing tribute and successful remedy to the lack of titles about the groundbreaking librarian…a must-have for all libraries.” —School Library Journal (starred review) An inspiring picture book biography of storyteller, puppeteer, and New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian, who championed bilingual literature. When she came to America in 1921, Pura Belpré carried the cuentos folklóricos of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings in... continue
1902.
France: Inspiration du Jour by Rae Dunn EN
Country: North America / United States of America
United States of America
Description:
Brimming with joie de vivre, France provides a glimpse into the gorgeous sketchbooks that artist Rae Dunn compiles during her annual sojourns in Paris, Provence, and the French Riviera. Colors, tastes, and smells come to life with each turn of the page, as Dunn's charming watercolor sketches and dreamy photographs beautifully depict the cityscapes, landscapes, foods, and pastimes that epitomize the romance of France. Additionally, hand-lettered notes reveal Dunn's inspirations as an artist. Francophiles, armchair travelers, and art lovers alike will rejoice in this thoughtful celebration of th... continue
1903.
A Year of Mornings: 3191 Miles Apart by Maria Alexandra Vettese, Stephanie Congdon Barnes EN
Country: North America / United States of America
United States of America
Description:
A Year of Mornings collects 236 images--always taken before noon-- without discussion between the two women, who live 3191 miles apart. The intimacy of these photographs combined with their striking similarities in color and compostion defies the reality of their long-distance collaboration.
1904.
Rumble Fish by S. E. Hinton EN
Country: North America / United States of America
United States of America
Description:
Rusty-James wants to be as great a street-fighter as his older brother until Bill Wilcox suddenly pulls a knife on him.
1905.
Country: North America / United States of America
United States of America
Description:
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The treasured childhood classic that tells the heartwarming story of a little bear and a little girl finding the friend they have always wanted in each other. Corduroy lives in the toy department of a big store. Day after day he waits with all the other animals and dolls for somebody to come along and take him home. Yet as soon as Lisa sees him, she knows that he’s the bear for her. Her mother, though, thinks he’s a little shopworn—he’s even missing a button! Still, Corduroy knows that with a bit of work he can tidy himself up and be just the bear for Lisa. Recognizable b... continue
1906.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein EN
Country: North America / United States of America
United States of America
Description:
'Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy.' So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave. This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of... continue
1907.
Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick EN
Country: North America / United States of America
United States of America
Description:
The heartrending story of twin sisters torn apart by China’s one-child policy and the rise of international adoption—from the author of the National Book Award finalist Nothing to Envy “Excellent . . . entrancing and disturbing . . . [Demick] is one of our finest chroniclers of East Asia. . . . [Her] characters are richly drawn, and her stories, often reported over a span of years, deliver a rare emotional wallop.”—The New York Times On a warm day in September 2000, a woman named Zanhua gave birth to twin girls in a small hut behind her brother’s home in China’s Hunan province. The twins, Fang... continue
1908.
O Sinners! : A Novel by Nicole Cuffy EN
Country: North America / United States of America
United States of America
Description:
A young journalist, reeling from loss, investigates a mysterious cult in the California redwoods, only to be drawn in by its charismatic leader in this addictive novel that asks why people give up control and what it takes, ultimately, to find one’s place in the world. “O Sinners! invites us to be fully and vigorously present for the rhapsodic truths of our lives.” —Megha Majumdar, author of A Burning Faruq Zaidi, a young journalist processing the recent death of his father, a devout Muslim, takes the opportunity to embed himself in a cult called “the nameless.” Based in the California redwood... continue
1909.
Where the Lilies Bloom by Bill Cleaver, Vera Cleaver EN
Country: North America / United States of America
United States of America
Description:
Mary Call has promised her dying father to keep her brother and sisters together forever on the mountain, and never to take any help from strangers. She is determined to keep her word. No matter what. At first she is sure she can manage. Romey, Ima Dean, and Devola help gather herbs to sell in town; the riches of the mountains will surely keep the family clothed and fed. But then winter comes, fast and furious, and Mary Call has to learn that the land where the lilies bloom is also a cruel and unforgiving place, and it may take more than a promise to keep her family together.
1910.
Trial Valley by Vera Cleaver, Bill Cleaver EN
Country: North America / United States of America
United States of America
Description:
An abandoned child, found in the woods near Mary Call's Smoky Mountain home, further complicates the life of the proud sixteen-year-old girl, who is struggling to raise a younger brother and sister and trying to cope with two suitors.