Please join us for the next Spokesman Review's Northwest Passages Young Adult event. Mandy Manning, 2018 National Teacher of the Year, will be in discussion with Sabina Kahn, whose newest novel is a timely, intimate look at what it means to be an immigrant in America today, and the endurance of hope and faith in the face of hate.

-> NW Passages event page here! <-

About the Book:
Seventeen-year-old Pakistani immigrant, Zara Hossain, has been leading a fairly typical life in Corpus Christi, Texas, since her family moved there for her father to work as a pediatrician. While dealing with the Islamophobia that she faces at school, Zara has to lay low, trying not to stir up any trouble and jeopardize their family's dependent visa status while they await their green card approval, which has been in process for almost nine years.

But one day her tormentor, star football player Tyler Benson, takes things too far, leaving a threatening note in her locker, and gets suspended. As an act of revenge against her for speaking out, Tyler and his friends vandalize Zara's house with racist graffiti, leading to a violent crime that puts Zara's entire future at risk. Now she must pay the ultimate price and choose between fighting to stay in the only place she's ever called home or losing the life she loves and everyone in it.

"Daisies seem so simple on the surface, but when you look closely you see their hidden beauty."
That's what Daisy the warthog's mom always says, and it's the reason she got her name. But when Daisy goes to school, she doesn't feel like her name. The other kids, Rose, Violet, and Petunia, make fun of her and call her "Thistle."

Some readers may feel that the mean girls are let off the hook or wish that Daisy was more defiant in the face of exclusion. But Bagley, always the soul of empathy, doesn’t focus on fixing Daisy or her situation. The story’s power—and genuine hope—comes from an author acknowledging and validating her protagonist’s feelings.
Ages 4–8.

Order today! We still have signed bookplates for books purchased at WTB!

-> Check out the recorded event here. <-
 

Celebrate the release of Dori Hillestad Butler and Kevan Atteberry's Dear Beast: Pet Parade!

Thanks to all who attended this fun event. We still have signed bookplates for books purchased at WTB!

About the Author and Illustrator:

Dori Hillestad Butler  is an award-winning author of mysteries and books for all ages, including the King and Kayla series and the Haunted Library series. She is a two-time Geisel Honor recipient, an Edgar Award winner, and has been nominated for children's choice awards in 19 states. Dear Beast is her first series with Holiday House. Dori lives in Washington with her husband and their very large dog, Mouse. Visit her online at www.kidswriter.com!

Kevan Atteberry is an illustrator who has written and/or illustrated many books for children, including Ghost Cat, which received a starred review in Booklist, Dear Beast, and Tickle Monster. One of his biggest claims to fame is that he created Clippy, the animated paperclip helper in Microsoft Office. Kevan lives in the Seattle area. Visit him on the web at www.kevanatteberry.com!

YA books aren't just for young adults. In her debut novel, "This Is My America,"  Kim Johnson explores racial injustice against innocent Black men who are criminally sentenced and the families left behind to pick up the pieces. The book - an NPR Best Book of the Year and 2021 Pac Northwest Book Award Winner - is the start of a new partnership between The Spokesman Review's Northwest Passages and Wishing Tree Books.  

Spokane NAACP President Kiantha Duncan moderated this virtual event February 16. 

-> Link to view recorded event here. <-
 

During this reading and discussion, three award-winning women writers shared poetry and prose, and discussed writing against patriarchal expectations—both overtly and implicitly—within their work and in their writing lives.

-> Watch recorded event here! (fast forward to 2:42 for start) <-