Maryland Center for the Book Selects Bestselling, Debut Novel and Caldecott Medalist as Maryland’s Two “Great Read from Great Places”
National Book Festival Project Celebrates Local Literary Heritage of the States and Territories
(Baltimore, MD) – Maryland Center for the Book at Maryland Humanities has selected two books as the “Great Reads from Great Places” for the 2023 National Book Festival of the Library of Congress, August 12 at the Washington Convention Center. Each year, affiliates to the Library of Congress’ Center for the Book select one book for Adult Readers and one for Young Readers. Maryland Center for the Book chose Kings of B’More by R. Eric Thomas as this year’s Adult Title, and We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom as its Youth Title. The books will be on sale at the National Book Festival as representation of the state’s literary heritage or talent, and featured at the Maryland Center for the Book’s booth alongside other affiliates in the Roadmap to Reading.
Kings of B’more features Harrison and Linus’ adventurous weekend from Baltimore to DC and back. With its rich set of supporting characters and locations, the novel serves as an invigorating encapsulation of living in the heart of the state. In choosing a Young Adult title as our Adult pick, Maryland Humanities hopes to connect many generations of Maryland readers. Author Thomas will appear at the National Book Festival to sign books and talk to readers.
We Are Water Protectors, with illustrations by Michaela Goade, carries readers through the Indigenous past and present, the people and land. The book allows young children to embrace the conversations between environmental justice, folklore, history, and contemporary Native desires and needs. These themes compliment the Maryland Humanities’ other major program, One Maryland One Book, which has selected There There by Tommy Orange as the 2023 title.
The Maryland Center for the Book is one of 56 Affiliates of the Library of Congress and its Center for the Book. The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in Washington works with its fifty-six Affiliate Centers for the Book – the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and Northern Marianas – to fulfill the Center’s mission of promoting our nation’s diverse literary heritage through books, reading, libraries, and literacy initiatives.
During the 2023 National Book Festival, each affiliate has a table at the Festival’s Roadmap to Reading in the Convention Center. Attendees can visit each state and territory table and learn about their state’s literature, including their “Great Reads” selections. This activity has been a part of the festival since 2002.
The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress is a community of 56 Affiliated Centers, promoting reading, libraries and literacy through the Library of Congress and its Affiliated Centers across the country.
Learn more about Maryland at the 2023 National Book Festival here.
About Maryland Center for the Book
The Maryland Center for the Book (MCFB)—an affiliate of the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress—develops and supports literary programs and outreach activities that engage citizens across Maryland in literature and reading. As a program of Maryland Humanities, MCFB highlights our region’s literary heritage and calls attention to the importance of books, reading, literacy, and libraries.
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