May 04, 2025 Staff Reads: Reading My Way Across the USA
Written by: Michelle, Youth Services Librarian
Last year, I underwent a project of reading a picture book that takes place in every single country. Over the course of several months, I found and read a book set in each country, which ended up including more than 190 books!
After talking with another librarian, I thought it would be fun to undertake a new project: reading a book set in every US state! Since there are only 50 states, I decided to read a kids’ chapter book for each of the states. (Plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico!)
Throughout this process, I learned a lot about the histories and cultures of many different states, and I read some novels that wouldn’t be my usual genres.
I had to do some research in order to find books to represent the states I didn’t already know. These were a few of the websites that I found the most helpful:
The Surly Housewife: https://www.thesurlyhousewife.com/state-books-for-kids/
Orchard Reads: https://orchardreads.com/books-by-us-state/
You can find the full list of books I read here. Each is labelled with the state it represents under the “Notes” field:
Please note that because these books are for a variety of age groups, some books may contain discussions of heavy topics.
https://hmmpl.evergreenindiana.org/MyAccount/MyList/1569
While I enjoyed many of the books on my list, here are a few of my very favorites:
Alone by Megan E. Freeman (Colorado)
A modern retelling of Island of the Blue Dolphins, Alone tells the story of Maddie, who wakes up one day to find that everyone in her town has evacuated. Left with only her dog and no electricity or way out, she has to figure out how to survive.
I couldn’t put this book down because I wanted to know what would happen next, as well as why everyone had disappeared. I loved Island of the Blue Dolphins as a kid, and now I love this!
Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart (Washington)
After losing his entire family, there seemed to be nothing left for 12-year-old Joseph to lose. Then, the man tasked with caring for him steals his beloved pony and sells it. Joseph’s one and only goal is getting his pony back, and he’ll face many obstacles along his journey through 1890s rural Washington.
This book was one that our After School Tween Book Club read, and I loved it. Sometimes cowboy books feel slow, but the pacing was great, and the settings were well-researched.
Not the Worst Friend in the World by Anne Rellihan (Missouri)
Lou Bennett has fallen to the bottom of the social ladder in her class after the big fight with her best friend Francie. Now no one wants to talk to her. That is, until the new girl passes Lou a note in class saying that she believes she’s been kidnapped. Could this be her opportunity to redeem herself?
The characters in this book were authentic, and I loved that the author explored the idea of living with the guilt of hurting others and how to move past it.
96 Miles by J.L. Esplin (Nevada)
Stew and John have been raised by their survivalist dad to be prepared for any disaster, but when a blackout knocks power out of their entire region, their skills are put to the test. Soon after the blackout begins, they’re robbed of all their supplies and must make a 96-mile journey on foot to find more. On top of it all, they only have 3 days to get there.
Another book that our Tween Book Club read, I was especially impressed by the author’s use of foreshadowing to give the reader hints as to why the brothers are in such a time crunch.
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (Minnesota)
In a twist, this book tells two stories at the same time: one with text and the other in only pictures. Ben lives in 1970s Minnesota, and his mother has recently died. He has never known his father, but he sets off on a journey to find him. Rose, on the other hand, lives in 1920s New Jersey. Because she is deaf, she is locked away from the world, spending much of her time cutting out pictures of her favorite actress. Both Ben and Rose embark on their own journeys to find the people that they’re looking for, but may find more along the way.
This is one of my Tween Book Club’s very favorite books we’ve ever read. They loved the two plots being told in different ways, and they loved predicting how they thought the plots might come together.
A Sky Full of Song by Susan Lynn Meyer (North Dakota)
It’s the turn of the century, and Shoshana and her family are forced to leave Ukraine for the prairies of North Dakota. Back in the Russian Empire, her family faced discrimination because they were Jewish, and they’re hopeful that in America, they will have a happier life. While they find some upsides to living on the prairie, they face many challenges too.
Books about homesteading often tend to feel slow to me, but that was not the case with this book. It was also cool to read a book about the immigrant experience in the early 1900s that didn’t take place in a city.