Today, I am the next stop in a blog tour for a new book coming from author Kimberly Willis Holt:
Of course, if you love children's literature like I do, you know Holt from her previous works:
Her very popular Piper Reed series,
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and, of course, this one with a coveted and glorious sticker on the cover: When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (Henry Holt, 1999). The sticker reminds us it was the National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature in 1999. (Read Kimberly Willis Holt's acceptance speech here.)
Holt also came to my previous school for an author visit, and I will never forget that either. I also remember the lovely red shoes she wore! ;-) I was a 4th grade teacher at the time, and her presentation was filled with very helpful writing tips for our students.
But back to 2015:
Holt's upcoming book is Dear Hank Williams (Henry Holt, 2015):
Read the book blurb from the publisher:
It's 1948 in Rippling Creek, Louisiana, and Tate P. Ellerbee's new teacher has just given her class an assignment: learning the art of letter-writing. Luckily, Tate has the perfect person in mind for a pen pal: Hank Williams, a country music singer-songwriter whose star has just begun to rise. Tate and her aunt and uncle listen to him on the radio every Saturday night, and Tate just knows that she and Hank are kindred spirits.
I read this ARC fairly quickly, but I
thought about it for a very long time afterward. It consists completely of
letters (the ones Tate writes to Hank Williams). If you've ever read a book
written in this format, you know that the plot is revealed in a very
different kind of way -- with bits of time left out, and not in one lump
paragraph. You have to completely rely on the narrator (or letter
writer) for description of the scenes, and, as a reader, it's up to you to
build the structure of the story (setting, major characters, mood,
etc). This is successful only if the writing is compelling and strong, and
with Holt, it definitely is.
The other strength of this work? Tate's family.
Frog (Tate's little brother), Uncle Jolly, and Aunt Patty Cake reveal the
Tate's character to the reader, and she (Tate) writes about them on nearly
every page. But I had to remind myself that I never knew about them completely
(and I shouldn't expect to) because Tate only showed us what she wanted us to
know about them. Interestingly enough, though Tate is the main character, Frog
(for me) is the one I will think most about in the weeks to come. (I do think about
the characters in my reading for a very long time!)
Here's the other thing to remember as you read this
book: the setting (1948 in Louisiana) has much to do with Tate's story, and her
life -- not only the music she listened to, but the people that were around
her, and the words she uses to narrate events. Tate is tenacious and writes
letters to Hank Williams relentlessly-- and, when I thought about this, I
realized she writes the letters (obviously) to be heard. Nothing stopped her. She had to talk to someone. She had to express herself.
As we know, kids need
a voice.
As a result of reading this book, I did listen to
some Hank Williams songs. And, Holt's author notes at the end of book are still
leading me to some research treks of my own.
In Dear Hank Williams, Tate shares her life.
It's not a fairy tale, and some parts of it are sad. But
beyond the tragic parts, Tate's hope and persistence shine through so strongly. Perhaps that is why I continue to think about this book.
Are you intrigued enough to read? (I've done my best to make this post completely spoiler-free.)
Dear Hank Williams will celebrate its book birthday on April 14th.
Dear Hank Williams will celebrate its book birthday on April 14th.
For the rest of the stops on the blog tour, check these links:
Blog Tour:
Tuesday, April 14
Nerdy Book Clubhttps://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com
Nerdy Book Clubhttps://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com
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