FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2024 Texas Great Read Youth and Adult Selections Announced
Austin, TX – The Texas Center for the Book at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission has announced its Texas Great Read titles for 2024. The Center has chosen The Mystery of the Monarchs, written by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Erika Meza, as the 2024 Texas Great Read Youth Selection and The Which Way Tree by Elizabeth Crook as the 2024 Texas Great Read Adult Selection.
Every year, the Library of Congress asks each state Center for the Book to select titles that represent the state’s literary landscape to highlight at the National Book Festival, an event showcasing the importance of books and reading. This year’s festival will be held August 24 in Washington, DC, and online. Check out the Library of Congress website for details.
The Texas Center for the Book invites Texans to read The Mystery of the Monarchs and The Which Way Tree. For more information on the 2024 Texas Great Read Program, visit www.tsl.texas.gov/greatreadtexas.
This summer, TSLAC will hold two video webinars, one for each book, including a video interview with each author and the opportunity for readers to ask questions. Stay tuned for registration. These events will be free and available on TSLAC’s YouTube channel after airing.
About the Youth Selection, The Mystery of the Monarchs
A gorgeous picture book based on the true story of a scientist who solves the mysteries of monarch butterfly migration—with the help of schoolchildren! Young Fred Urquhart was fascinated by insects, especially his favorite, the monarch butterfly. He wondered where monarchs spent the winter. No one knew. After he became an entomologist (bug scientist), Fred and his wife, Norah, tagged hundreds of butterflies, hoping to solve the mystery of the monarchs. As many Texas students know, the monarch butterfly is the official state insect of Texas. Texas is an important state in monarch migration because it is situated between the principal breeding grounds in the north and the overwintering areas in Mexico.
Author Barb Rosenstock likes true stories about real people. She is the author of nonfiction and historical fiction children’s books that combine deep research and playful language to bring history to life. Her book, The Noisy Paint Box, illustrated by Mary Grandpré, received a Caldecott Honor. Barb loves sharing stories and inspiring students in schools and libraries across the country. She lives with her family near Chicago. Visit her at barbrosenstock.com.
Illustrator Erika Meza was born in Morelia, in the Mexican state where monarch butterflies go for the winter. She grew up in awe of the phenomenon and carried the image of the butterfly as a piece of home when she moved to Paris, France, to follow her dream of becoming an author and illustrator. Her themes are born out of the exploration of her migrant essence, her bittersweet relationship with change and her attachment to innocence and curiosity. She now lives in London. Learn more about Erika at ErikaMeza.com.
The Mystery of the Monarchs was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2022.
About the Adult Selection, The Which Way Tree
Early one morning in the remote hill country of Texas in the 1860s, a panther savagely attacks a family of homesteaders, mauling a young girl named Samantha and killing her mother, whose final act is to save her daughter's life. Samantha and her half-brother Benjamin survive, but she is left traumatized, her face horribly scarred. Narrated in Benjamin's beguilingly plainspoken voice, The Which Way Tree is the story of Samantha's unshakeable resolve to stalk and kill the infamous panther, rumored across the Rio Grande to be a demon, and avenge her mother's death.
Elizabeth Crook is the author of six novels including The Which Way Tree, The Night Journal–which received the Spur Award from Western Writers of America—and Monday, Monday, winner of the Jesse H. Jones Award from the Texas Institute of Letters. Crook’s latest novel, The Madstone, a sequel to The Which Way Tree, was published in 2023. She is the recipient of the 2023 Texas Writer Award from the Texas Book Festival. Elizabeth lives in Austin with her family. Visit her website at elizabethcrookbooks.com.
The Which Way Tree was published by Little, Brown and Company in 2018.
Reading the Books
Many libraries across Texas carry copies of The Which Way Tree and The Mystery of the Monarchs; we encourage you to check them out! In addition, both books are available through E-Read Texas. E-Read Texas is a statewide program that provides e-books to small and medium-sized public libraries statewide; if your local library is part of this network, you can access the books this way. For our Talking Book Program patrons, The Which Way Tree is currently available, and The Mystery of the Monarchs will be available soon.
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Established in 1987, the Texas Center for the Book seeks to stimulate public interest in books, reading, literacy and libraries. The Texas Center for the Book is under the direction of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission at the Lorenzo De Zavala State Archives and Library Building in Austin, Texas.
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides Texans access to the information they need to be informed, productive citizens by preserving the archival record of Texas; enhancing the service capacity of public, academic and school libraries; assisting public agencies in the maintenance of their records; and meeting the reading needs of Texans with disabilities. For more information, visit www.tsl.texas.gov.
