The community-wide reading project, “Iola Reads,” will kick off Oct. 1, with the selection of “Moon Over Manifest,” by Clare Vanderpool.
The book is set in southeast Kansas and follows the journey of Abilene Tucker, a young girl who grew up in the railroad industry with her father. Her father sends her to live in a little town of Manifest, Kan., a coal mining town, during the Great Depression.
Vanderpool is the first Kansas author to ever win the Newbery Medal, which is the highest award in children’s literature, according Roger Carswell, director of the Iola Public Library.
Though the book is targeted to a younger crowd, “the author could have expected the book to appeal to all generations,” Cars-well said.
The Iola Reads committee chose the book because of its achievement with the Newbery Medal, but also because it is set in southeast Kansas, Carswell said.
“It is a really good book,” he said. “Anytime you read a good book it becomes your friend.”
IOLA READS is a “One Book, One Community” project encouraging all Iolans to read a book chosen by the project’s committee. It is a cooperative project involving USD 257, Iola Public Library, Allen Community College Library and the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. Additional committee members are Dixie Quincy and Nancy Toland.
The project, started in 2006, releases two books a year. It is now on its 14th book. Six hundred books are distributed in tubs to roughly 12 local businesses, school libraries, including the college and the public library.
Typically, the book released in the spring is targeted to a more mature crown where the fall book targets to upper elementary and middle school students.
“The children’s books have been just as popular with the adults as the adult selections have been,” Carswell said.
The book chosen for this project is “Moon Over Manifest” by Clare Vanderpool.
People are asked to either pass the book along to someone else, return them to one of the locations or if they intend on keeping the book a $2 donation is requested.
This project is funded by the Helen Gates Whitehead Trust. Additional funding comes from donations and from the Iola Kiwanis Club.
The committee tries to choose books contemporary books so as to give readers the chance to meet the author, Carswell said.
Some of the books chosen in the past have been “Touching Spirit Bear,” “Our Boys,” “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” “The Greatest Generation,” “Peak” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Vanderpoo will present three programs for Iola schools on Nov. 16. On Nov. 17, she will be speaking as part of the library’s Family Reading Festival at Allen Community College at 1 p.m.
