I am proud that WHAT I CARRY is nominated for the 2022-23 GATEWAY READERS AWARD. This wonderful recognition means something special to me, as my mother’s family are all from the Ozark Mountains in the Show Me State of Missouri. These are Librarian-curated awards, voted by readers and librarians, and that makes the nomination even more wonderful. From the Missouri Association of Librarians website:

“The librarians of Missouri believe that exposing students to quality literature impacts their future reading habits. These awards encourage students in grades one through twelve to explore new literary genres, to recognize excellence in writing and illustrating, and to experience the joy of literature. MASL’s five Readers Awards represent the best current youth literature available to students of different grade levels.”

THE GATEWAY READERS AWARD represents the Young Adult category. Thank you so much, readers and Librarians of Missiouri. I love you all, and I am humbled to be in the company of a list of books and author nominees that I so admire. Thank you!