Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Tina Chambers

Where Reading is the Coolest Thing

Allison Varnes writes a cautionary tale about censorship for young readers

In Allison Varnes’s new middle-grade novel, Property of the Rebel Librarian, an unlikely hero defies her parents and her school to champion the right to read freely. Varnes will appear at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on September 18.

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The Darkness at the Door

Brantley Hargrove tells the story of a storm-chasing, tornado-catching legend

Tim Samaras, writes Brantley Hargrove in The Man Who Caught the Storm, “accomplished meteorology’s equivalent to the moon landing.” Hargrove will appear at the 2018 Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 12-14.

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We Are Our Stories

Kristin O’Donnell Tubb’s new novel set in the New York Public Library celebrates the power of storytelling

Young fans of New York City, libraries, and life during the 1920s will be mesmerized by The Story Collector, Kristin O’Donnell Tubb’s new novel for middle-grade students, which celebrates the power of storytelling. Tubb will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on August 30, and at the 2018 Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 12-14.

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What We Own

Vince Vawter takes young readers on a road trip to the Mississippi Delta

Copyboy, the new middle-grade novel by Vince Vawter, is a sequel worthy of its exceptional predecessor, Paperboy, a 2014 Newbery Honor Book. Vawter will discuss the book at Novel in Memphis on July 31 and at East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville on August 7.

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Wrestling for a Blessing

Bestselling Christian writer Rachel Held Evans re-examines the evangelical teachings of her youth

In her new book, Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again, Dayton author Rachel Held Evans attempts to reconcile the simple religious instruction she received as a child with the complicated reality of life outside her faith community.

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Tree of Dreams

Karen White’s latest novel serves up escapist fare with a low-country flair

Karen White’s Dreams of Falling ticks the boxes for a perfect summer read: evocative setting, tragic romance, unsolved mystery, and family drama. White will appear at a fundraiser for the Southern Lit Alliance in Chattanooga on June 14.

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