(2) YA West Virginia, the Mountain State, is also historically known for both coal mining and Appalachian poverty. Watkins explores the nexus between them in this overlooked chapter in the history of the labor movement. By the early twentieth century, West Virginia had emerged as a cheap source of coal, in large part because capitalism allowed wealthy mine owners to exploit workers. Coal mining was dangerous, the hours were long, the conditions deplorable, and the pay minimal -- often paid in scrip, currency accepted only at the company store. The tension between mine owners and labor unions came to a head in 1920 during the Matewan Massacre and in 1921 during the Battle of Blair Mountain. Watkins introduces the major players and aptly delineates the causes and effects of these bloody and violent events. He reflects on how this history has been erased from books on West Virginia, a history that could have served as a source of pride in resistance. He concludes with a discussion of the current state of coal mining, still a mainstay of the area's economy despite mounting national pressure to move away from fossil fuels. Numerous black-and-white photographs ably support the text, while sources, notes, and an index are appended.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(1) YA Miles Abernathy lives in a struggling West Virginia town in 2017. Power is monopolized by the Davieses, the family of the sheriff and the Abernathys' mortal enemies in a blood feud that began with the murder of Miles's great-great-grandfather, who dared to challenge the corrupt ruling class. Tired of the Davieses' ruthless pursuit of dominance and control, Miles tries to undermine the sheriff but is wholly unprepared for the chain of events one small act of defiance sets off. White (The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, rev. 11/23) crafts a high-stakes thriller that is atmospheric and suspenseful -- with a touch of the supernatural -- while also nuanced and incisive in its exploration of violence (at times extreme and graphically depicted) and its impact on individual and collective psyches. The story raises and addresses questions of power, agency, and complicity through an intimate first-person narrative of a teen who feels the injustice of the world on a deep and personal level and must decide how far he is willing to go to change his situation. Miles also experiences the trials and tribulations of coming out as trans in a small town, realizing that he is autistic, and questioning his romantic orientation. These elements are well integrated into the story and coincide with developments in the thriller plotline, making for a multilayered, engrossing read.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Javari Harris "felt like I had landed on an alien world" upon arrival at STEM camp in Horsewhip Hollow, West Virginia. He's "a thousand miles from home" (Bushwick, Brooklyn) and facing two weeks at Appalachian Ridge Christian College. Gifted at math, he's one of the few Black students at the camp and has already experienced a racist encounter on day one. When he befriends Cricket, a local Black boy ("light-skinned, kinda gold, with brown freckles on his face and hazel-colored eyes"), Javari is introduced to a community of Black people--Affrilachians--who have lived in the mountains for generations. Moore (The Stars Beneath Our Feet, rev. 11/17) packs his narrative with themes of racism, wealth and privilege, environmental degradation, opioid addiction, homelessness, and cancer, and he carries it all off with well-rounded characters, lively dialogue and action, and often beautiful sensory prose: "A hundred, no thousands, of tiny yellow and orange lights were winking on and off... It was like being planted in the middle of a silent fireworks show."

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(3) YA Eighteen-year-old Harlowe Compton's southern Appalachian community is defined by mining, poverty, and, too often, despair. His brother's murder (Harlowe suspects the powerful Prater family is to blame) sends Harlowe into the darkest secrets of his family and his community. This well-written debut offers a stark and powerful depiction of modern-day rural devastation, especially opioid addiction.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Ghosts of Ordinary Objects series. Set in a Virginia coal-mining town during October of 1942, this second novel in Smibert's planned trilogy finds seventh grader Bone hoping that her Gift--the ability to touch an object and experience its owner's memories--will unlock the secrets of a jelly jar that steals sounds. Magic realism, historical fiction, and folktales are nimbly braided together with realistic portraits of grief.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Higgins Bond. On their Tennessee farm, Lorraine and Pa Paw make beautiful music together--he on his harmonica, and she on her pennywhistle. However, when things begin disappearing on the farm and a fierce storm arises, Lorraine and Pa Paw have to depend on their voices to make music and chase away fear. Written in rhyming verse and realistically illustrated with setting-evoking detail, the folkloric story is one of nostalgia and finding joy.

Reviewer: Monique Harris

(3) 4-6 Ghosts of Ordinary Objects series. When twelve-year-old Bone, a spunky storyteller, picks up an object, she experiences its history and relives scenes from its owner's past. As Bone explores this "Gift," she searches for stories--and the truth--about her mother's death. Set in Appalachia coal-mining country during WWII, Smibert's blend of history, folklore, mystery, and fantasy is a riveting start to a planned series.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 When Wavie's mom dies, an aunt she never knew takes Wavie back to Conley Hollow, the Appalachian town of poverty and unrealized dreams that her mother struggled to escape. Despite Aunt Samantha Rose's greediness and cruelty, new friends help Wavie adjust. Wavie is a strong and determined character, and the kindness of her neighbors helps soften the abuse and heartache she endures in this ultimately hopeful story.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) YA Like all teens in her poverty-stricken rural-Kentucky town, Winter Crane determines to leave Reeve's End forever. One day she discovers Lennon Bishop beaten and left in the woods--and with knowledge that something has happened to Winter's friend Edie. When Lennon also disappears, Winter joins forces with Lennon's brother for a dangerous pursuit of the truth. A thrilling mystery in the well-evoked Appalachian wilderness.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) YA Forced to move to a coal mining town in rural Kentucky, Liberty is shocked to see that the tap water is orange. While the mining company claims that the water is safe, her granny's worsening health prompts Liberty to ask unpopular--and dangerous--questions. The fast-paced story probes multiple angles of complex topics and conveys the poverty, humanity, and beauty of Appalachia.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Kentuckian Curley has lived with his grandpa since his parents and brother were killed in coal-mining accidents. When Red Hawk Mountain is threatened by strip-miners, Curley and his friends fight to save it. A healthy respect for nature and setting--Appalachian characters are portrayed intelligently, with Curley's Papaw stressing the importance of education and eloquence--make this an engaging, thoughtful read.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(2) K-3 Everything in his Appalachian upbringing was music to Arthel Watson's ears. Eventually his pappy got him a harmonica, made him a banjo, then--finally--bought him a guitar. Arthel grew up to become bluegrass legend "Doc" Watson. The light color palette is broken by an entirely black spread: "Maybe it was because [Arthel] was blind." A text in a storyteller's cadence accompanies the folk-inspired art. Bib.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2015

(3) 4-6 In the Appalachian Mountains in 1908, eight-year-old Minna longs to go to school, but her family can't afford a warm coat for her commute. After Papa dies from black lung, local quilter women offer to put together a patchwork coat for Minna. Accompanied by pencil drawings, the gentle, affecting narrative (an expansion of Mills's picture book The Rag Coat) is enriched with details of Appalachian traditions.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Stan Fellows. A Florida family--mother, father, and ten-year-old boy--vacationing in Appalachian Ohio gets caught outside in a blizzard. All seems lost until a cattle dog catches the family's scent and leads them to safety. Rosen's story is told in vivid third person, mainly by observing the brave dog and the frightened family. Impressionistic watercolor illustrations underscore the danger.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) YA This graphic memoir traces Thrash's transformative final summer of sleepaway camp, during which she falls for a counselor, comes out, and weathers the mixed response. The muted pastels of Thrash's loose-lined watercolor-pencil and pen illustrations reinforce a contemplative tone, and teenage Maggie's inner journey is heartfelt and thoughtfully drawn. However, substantial textual "voice-overs" skew the balance between action and retrospection.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Pat Banks. Each letter of the alphabet represents a nineteenth-century Appalachian toy or game. There's lots of rich and interesting information to engage children (how to make an apple doll, rules for playing marbles), and sunny (somewhat unpolished) watercolors dominate the pages. Unfortunately, the format is inaccessible: the too-dense (and self-consciously folksy) text and small type will make reading difficult for most kids. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) 4-6 In 1950s Appalachia, sixth-grader Lydia Hawkins chronicles the challenges she faces when she is sent away to live with her uncle while her mother is in jail. Reflecting on the secrets in her family's past, Lydia considers how she can change the future. The compelling characters and setting as well as a dialect-rich voice create a pleasing story about overcoming adversity.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Marita Gentry. In this Appalachian tale, Maw Maw needs "sody sallyraytus" (baking soda) for biscuits. She sends her family members, warning, "Beware, beware of the big bad bear!" And each time the bear eats the person. Finally, a squirrel outsmarts the bear and gets Maw Maw back in the kitchen. The text has a pleasing rhythm, though the repetition grows tiresome. The amateurish, muddy illustrations are unfortunate.

Reviewer: Meredith M. Sittman

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Barry Root. As Sullivan explains in an excellent note, musician Jake Krack was only nine when he traveled to hear noted fiddler Melvin Wine, then eighty-six. Inspired by that friendship, Sullivan depicts just such an old man and gifted boy. The story is told in the lyrical, laconic lilt of its Appalachian setting, also captured in gentle golden-tinged gouache and watercolor paintings. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(3) 4-6 In this earnest middle-grade novel, Garnet, fourteen, finds faith, love, and family when her mother sends her to live with estranged relatives in rural Virginia. Garnet's evocative first-person narrative voice draws readers in as she seeks stability, rewardingly found in the unlikely home of her church-hopping aunt. Be prepared: a surprising eleventh-hour death tempers the sweetness of salvation everyone has found.

Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff