One Book One Sioux County

One Book One Sioux County a collaborative program among the 8 public and 3 academic libraries in Sioux County in an attempt at community building through community conversation.

In this annual endeavor people and libraries-both public and academic-across Sioux County read and discuss the same book. The libraries host book talks in their own towns throughout the year. In the fall a collaborative event is held at a central location. In the past this has been the author visiting and a panel discussion of people involved in the story.

Save the date! One Book, One Sioux County will host author Cheryl Grey Bostrom on Thursday, November 2, 2023 at 7pm in the Vogel Community Room, DeWitt Library, Northwestern College in Orange City.

Visit our calendar to view information about other upcoming events related to this year’s One Book One Sioux County selection or contact your local library to see when they are hosting a book discussion.

**This year’s selection is Sugar Birds by Cheryl Grey Bostrom.**

For years, Harris Hayes has taught his daughter, Aggie, the ways of the northern woods. So when her mother’s depression worsens, Harris shows the girl how to find and sketch the nests of wild birds as an antidote to sadness. Aggie is in a tree far overhead when her unpredictable mother spots her and forbids her to climb. Angry, the ten-year-old accidentally lights a tragic fire, then flees downriver. She lands her boat near untamed forest, where she hides among the trees and creatures she considers her only friends—determined to remain undiscovered.

A search party gathers by Aggie’s empty boat hours after Celia, fresh off the plane from Houston, arrives at her grandmother’s nearby farm. Hurting from her parents’ breakup, she also plans to run. But when she joins the hunt for Aggie, she meets two irresistible young men who compel her to stay. One is autistic; the other, dangerous.

Perfect for fans of The Scent Keeper, Where The Crawdads Sing, and The Great Alone, Sugar Birds immerses readers in a layered, evocative coming-of-age story set in the breathtaking natural world where characters encounter the mending power of forgiveness—for themselves and for those who have failed them.

About the Author

For most of her life, Pacific Northwest naturalist, photographer, poet, and author Cheryl Grey Bostrom has lived in the rural and wild lands that infuse her writing. Her work has appeared in a wide variety of print and online publications, currently including the American Scientific Affiliation’s God and Nature Magazine (for which she’s a regular photo essayist) and her blog titled Watching Nature, Seeing Life. A member of the Redbud Writers Guild, she has authored two non-fiction books and the award-winning novel Sugar Birds.

Introduction from the Author