One of the joys of having books published in this age of instant communication is hearing from readers.  In the last seven years I’ve heard from hundreds (dare I say “more than a thousand”), but every now and then one comes along that stops me in my tracks....

The new Whippoorwill Award goes annually to ten distinguished books of fiction for young adults that deal with rural people and places. The books chosen for the award should: • Address universal truths, problems, topics and issues. • Have an enduring quality that...