One Book NJ - Press Kit

The One Book New Jersey program is a fun and exciting program sponsored by the New Jersey Library Association with generous support from the New Jersey State Library. The goal of the program is to bring people together by encouraging them to read and participate in discussions and other events about the same book. Although this program is modeled on other "One Book" programs throughout the country, New Jersey's program is rather unique. We involve not just one community, but the whole state. We also felt it was important to reach people of all ages, so although we still call our program "One Book" it is in fact four books: an adult selection, a young adult selection, a book for older children and a read-to-me selection.

In the past, over six hundred programs or events were held in every county of the state at a majority of the 464 public libraries in New Jersey. These events ranged from book discussions to storyhours, from contests to film showings for people from preschoolers to senior citizens. Past One Book New Jersey selections have been:

More information about the One Book New Jersey program can be found on our
website: www.onebooknewjersey.org

Contacts: Carlie Webber, 2007 Chair, OBNJ
201-489-1904 carlie@bccls.org Pat Tumulty, Exec. Director, NJLA
609-394-8032 ptumulty@njla.org

One Book New Jersey
2007 Featured Adult Book

Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston

Janie Crawford lives in the black town of Eaton, Florida. The good citizens of Eaton sit in judgment on Janie for she has been married to three different men. The first marriage was a loveless arranged marriage to an older man. Janie leaves him and runs off with good-looking, citified Joe Starks and by the next night is married to him. Joe quickly becomes financially and politically successful in the small town they settle in, but Janie is increasingly unhappy. Joe treats her like property and never passes up the opportunity to put her down. When Joe finally dies, Janie is free for the first time in seventeen years. She meets Tea Cake, a younger man who treats her like a real person. Their relationship is rocky at times, but Janie loves him. They make a life for themselves in the Everglades until, fleeing from a hurricane, disaster strikes. Tea Cake is bitten by an attacking dog and contracts rabies. Throughout the book, Janie's character continues to grow and her sense of self worth shines through.

When this book by Zora Neale Hurston was first published in 1937 it received scathing criticism for the use of dialect and "black stereotypes." Now, almost seventy years later, many critics admire Hurston for her depiction of the lives of black women. The book can be a challenge to read, since the use of dialect is extensive. But Janie's story is well worth the work.

Zora Neale Hurston, born in 1891, spent much of her childhood in Eatonville, Florida. She began her college education at Howard University and later finished at Barnard College. Her studies included anthropology and African-American folklore, and she was active in politics. She died an unknown in 1960, but an article by Alice Walker in the March, 1975 issue of Ms revived an interest in her work. Today, she has a place among acclaimed African-American writers such as Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou.

www.onebooknj.org

Contacts: Carlie Webber, 2007 Chair, OBNJ
973-838-1321 x.261 webber@main.morris.org Pat Tumulty, Exec. Director, NJLA
609-394-8032 ptumulty@njla.org

One Book New Jersey
2007 Featured Young Adult Book

So Yesterday
by Scott Westerfeld

Hunter Braque, photographer and Trendsetter, has an important but secretive job: He is one of the few who decide what's cool, whether it's phones or sneakers. The shoe he photographs belongs to Jennifer, who is what Hunter refers to as an Innovator, an original thinker with the potential to turn the consumer world upside-down. When Hunter's usually reliable boss disappears, Hunter and Jen are led on a chase through New York City that takes them from underground tunnels to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

So Yesterday has received numerous awards and honors, including being named a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and nominations for the Garden State Teen Book Awards, the Rhode Island Teen Book Award, and the Washington Evergreen Young Adult Award.

Breakfast aficionado Scott Westerfeld is originally from Dallas, Texas, and now spends half the year in New York City and half in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of three sets of novels for young adults: the Midnighters series, the Uglies trilogy, and three stand-alone books: Peeps, The Last Days, and So Yesterday. Uglies was named to Best Books for Young Adults and Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, and Peeps earned the distinction of Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, 2006. He is also an accomplished adult science fiction author, earning a place on the New York Times Notable Book list in 2000.

www.onebooknj.org

Contacts: Carlie Webber, 2007 Chair, OBNJ
973-838-1321 x.261 webber@main.morris.org Pat Tumulty, Exec. Director, NJLA
609-394-8032 ptumulty@njla.org

One Book New Jersey
2007 Featured Middle Grade Book

Whales on Stilts!
by M.T. Anderson

Twelve-year-old Lily Gefelty learns on Career Day that her father works for a mad scientist. Her father, however, is unaware of his employer's diabolical plans. When Lily learns that the mad scientist intends to take over the world using an army of whales, she enlists her best friends Katie (the horror novel star) and Jasper (the Boy Technonaut) to help foil his plan. This first book in M.T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales series is full of wacky humor and satire, making it a great read for fans of Captain Underpants or A Series of Unfortunate Events. Whales on Stilts! is an ALA Notable Book.

M.T. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has served on the faculty of Vermont College's MFA in Writing for Children program. He is the author of Feed, the winner of the Lost Angeles Times Book Prize and a National Book Award Nominee, and his newest work, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party is a finalist for the 2007 National Book Award. He also received the Boston Globe-Horn Book honor for Handel, Who Knew What He Liked, a picture book biography.

www.onebooknj.org

Contacts: Carlie Webber, 2007 Chair, OBNJ
973-838-1321 x.261 webber@main.morris.org Pat Tumulty, Exec. Director, NJLA
609-394-8032 ptumulty@njla.org

One Book New Jersey
2007 Featured Read to Me Book

Bear Snores On
by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman

A bear is snuggled in his lair for a long winter's sleep while a mouse, a hare, and others join in for a social gathering. Everyone is perfectly happy being shielded from the elements until the grumpy bear wakes up. Grumbling and grouchy because he is missing out on all the fun, the animals graciously include him as they wear themselves out. The rhyming text and cozy painted illustrations make for a delightful read-a-loud.

Karma Wilson lives in northern Idaho with her husband and three children. In addition to her picture books, she also writes parenting and family articles for magazines. Her books Bear Wants More and Frog in a Bog are nominees for the Missouri Building Blocks Award, and her Mr. Murray & Thumbkin is a Junior Literary Guild selection.

www.onebooknj.org

Contacts: Carlie Webber, 2007 Chair, OBNJ
973-838-1321 x.261 webber@main.morris.org Pat Tumulty, Exec. Director, NJLA
609-394-8032 ptumulty@njla.org

PRESS KIT

Press Kit