2026 National Book Festival & Great Reads Selections!

 The 2026 National Book Festival is Saturday, August 22, 2026!

Discover Great Reads from Great Places with the Roadmap to Reading at the 2026 Library of Congress National Book Festival! The 56 Affiliate Centers for the Book each selected one book for Young Readers and one for Adult Readers to celebrate the people and places around our nation. Visit each stop on the Roadmap to Reading in Hall D of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. from 9 a.m-8 p.m.

For a link to the author lineup of more than 80 authors at the festival, click here.

The Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library has selected the book, Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor by Emily Arnold McCully as our 2026 selection for Young Readers. 

Mattie could make almost anything – toys, sleds, kites, and a foot warmer. When she was just twelve years old, Mattie designed a metal guard to prevent shuttles from shooting off textile looms and injuring workers at the mills in Manchester, New Hampshire. Later, as an adult at the Columbia Paper Bag Company in Springfield, Massachusetts, Mattie invented the machine that makes the square-bottom paper bags we still use today. Over the course of her life, Marvelous Mattie earned the title of "the Lady Edison." This is the incredible story of the first woman to receive a U.S. patent.

The Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library has selected the book, Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving as our 2026 selection for Adult Readers.

In 1954, in the cookhouse of a logging and sawmill settlement in northern New Hampshire, an anxious twelve-year-old boy mistakes the local constable’s girlfriend for a bear. Both the twelve-year-old and his father become fugitives, forced to run from Coos County—to Boston, to southern Vermont, to Toronto—pursued by the implacable constable. Their lone protector is a fiercely libertarian logger, once a river driver, who befriends them. In a story spanning five decades, Last Night in Twisted River depicts the recent half-century in the United States as “a living replica of Coos County, where lethal hatreds were generally permitted to run their course.” --Publisher’s blurb

Ann Patchett to Receive 2026 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction

The Library of Congress has announced that the 2026 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction will be awarded to Ann Patchett at the National Book Festival on Aug. 22, 2026!

The annual Prize for American Fiction, one of the Library’s most prestigious awards, honors an American literary writer whose body of work is distinguished by its mastery of the art, as well as its originality of thought and imagination.

The award seeks to recognize strong, unique, enduring voices that, throughout long and consistently accomplished careers, have told us something about the American experience.

Patchett is the author of 10 novels, including “The Dutch House” (Pulitzer Prize finalist), “The Patron Saint of Liars,” “Bel Canto,” “Commonwealth” and “Taft,” as well as nonfiction and children’s books. She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and received the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. Her books have been translated into more than 30 languages.

For more information about the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, including past winners click here.

2025 National Book Festival & Great Reads Selections!

The 2025 National Book Festival is Saturday, September 6, 2025!

Discover Great Reads from Great Places with the Roadmap to Reading at the 2025 Library of Congress National Book Festival! The 56 Affiliate Centers for the Book each selected one book for Young Readers and one for Adult Readers to celebrate the people and places around our nation. Visit each stop on the Roadmap to Reading in Hall D of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. from 9 a.m.- 8 p.m., or create your own National Book Festival experience with the Library of Congress online by engaging in virtual author conversations, listening to a podcast, reading the blog, and more!

For a link to the author lineup of more than 90 authors at the festival, click here.

The Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library has selected the book, Pitch Perfect and Persistent!: The Musical Debut of Amy Cheney Beach by Caitlin DeLems as our 2025 selection for Young Readers. 

Amy Marcy Cheney was born in Henniker, New Hampshire on September 5, 1867. By the age of four, Amy had composed three waltzes, despite the absence of a piano. Amy began formal piano lessons with her mother at age six, and by age eight the family had moved to Chelsea, Massachusetts to further her musical education. During the course of her lifetime, Amy accomplished many musical firsts, including being the first American woman to compose and publish a symphony. In 1944, Amy Cheney Beach died and is buried with her husband, Dr. Henry Harris Aubrey Beach outside of Boston, Massachusetts.

The Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library has selected the book, To Anyone Who Ever Asks: the Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse by Howard Fishman as our 2025 selection for Adult Readers.

Elizabeth Eaton “Connie” Converse was born in Laconia, New Hampshire on August 3, 1924, and raised in Concord, New Hampshire. She attended Concord High School, where she was valedictorian. Converse attended Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts for two years before moving to New York City where she began writing songs. In August 1974, Converse left her family home in search of a new life and was not seen or heard from again. Despite some small success early on in her music career, Connie’s music was not recognized until the 21st century with the release of a song compilation and the publication of this biography. 

2024 National Book Festival!

 The 2024 National Book Festival is this Saturday, August 24th! 

Discover Great Reads from Great Places with the Roadmap to Reading at the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival. The 56 Affiliate Centers for the Book each selected one book for Young Readers and one for Adult Readers to celebrate the people and places around our nation. Visit each stop on the Roadmap to Reading in Hall D of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. from 8:30 a.m.- 6 p.m., or create your own National Book Festival experience with the Library of Congress online by engaging in virtual author conversations, listening to a podcast, reading the blog, and more!

For a link to the online events schedule, click here.

 

The Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library is pleased to announce that the book, The McNifficents by Amy Makechnie is our 2024 choice for Young Readers!

 

 

 

The Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library is pleased to announce that the book, The Hills At Home by Nancy Clark is our 2024 choice for Adult Readers!

Help us celebrate our amazing New Hampshire authors Amy Makechnie & Nancy Clark, as well as the many other authors from around the nation this weekend! If you're attending the festival, make sure to look for the New Hampshire booth where NH Center for the Book staff will be promoting these great books!

Q & A: Guy Lamolinara, Head of the LOC Center for the Book

The Library of Congress blog recently featured a Q&A with Guy Lamolinara, the Head of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress! 

Working with and learning from Guy is always a delight for us here at the NH Center for the Book. His cheerful demeanor and enthusiasm about Center for the Book affiliate projects and ideas is always warmly welcomed and appreciated.

Click here for the full Q&A with Guy.

To find out more about the Library of Congress Center for the Book and its 56 affiliates, click here.

2023 National Book Festival

The 2023 National Book Festival is this Saturday, August 12th! 

Discover Great Reads from Great Places with the Roadmap to Reading at the 2023 Library of Congress National Book Festival. The 56 Affiliate Centers for the Book selected one book for Young Readers and one for Adult Readers to celebrate the people and places around our nation. Visit each stop on the Roadmap to Reading in Hall D of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., or create your own National Book Festival experience with the Library of Congress online by engaging in virtual author conversations, listening to a podcast, reading the blog, and more! Whether we are near or far, “Everyone Has a Story” and we hope you will join us in celebration this weekend!

For a link to the online events schedule, click here.

The New Hampshire Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library has selected the book, Inky's Amazing Escape by Sy Montgomery as our 2023 choice for Young Readers.

 

 

The New Hampshire Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library has selected the book, The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery as our 2023 choice for Adult Readers.

 

Sy Montgomery is the author of 34 books for children and adults. She has won many awards and honors for her wide range of books about every animal you could imagine! Sy lives in Hancock, New Hampshire with her husband, writer Howard Mansfield, her Border collie and a flock of chickens

View interviews with selected authors from the Eastern 1 Region of the U.S., including an interview between the NH Center for the Book's Deputy Director Felicia Martin and author Sy Montgomery here.

Help us celebrate Sy Montgomery and her amazing books, as well as the many other authors from around the nation this weekend!

Great Reads from Great Places

 As part of the 2021 National Book Festival, the Center for the Book at the NH State Library selected Spindlefish and Stars by Christiane M. Andrews as a "Great Read from NH" for young readers. 

The various state centers for the book worked together to create a set of videos featuring panels of authors whose books had been selected for this project. This panel, Mystery and Magic, includes NH author Christiane M. Andrews:

The rest of the panel discussions are available at https://www.loc.gov/search/?fa=partof:great+reads+from+great+places

Book of the Week (9/12/2016)

Keepers of the Labyrinth by Erin E. Moulton (Philomel Books, 2015).
This book will be featured at the New Hampshire table in the Pavilion of the States at the 2016 National Books Festival on September 23 in Washington, D.C.

Lilith Bennette runs at midnight. She scales walls in the dark and climbs without a harness. She hopes that if she follows exactly in the steps of her strong air force pilot mother, she’ll somehow figure out the mystery of her mother’s death—and the reason why her necklace of Greek symbols has been missing ever since.
So when Lil is invited to Crete for a Future Leaders International conference, the same conference her mom attended years ago, she jumps at the chance to find some answers. But things in Melios Manor are not what they seem. Lil finds herself ensnared in an adventure of mythological proportions that leads her and her friends through the very labyrinth in which the real Minotaur was imprisoned. And they’re not in there alone. What secrets does the labyrinth hold, and will they help Lil find the truth about her mother? -- Publisher's blurb

FNV: John Irving

For this month's installment of Friday Night Videos we present an interview with John Irving from the 2009 National Book Festival. There is an audio issue (the power to the audio system went out) early in the video, but it is sorted out quickly. This is from the video archive at the Library of Congress and requires Real Player (a free video player you can download).

Best-selling author John Irving appears at the National Book Festival.
John Irving is the best-selling author of "The World According to Garp," "The Hotel New Hampshire," "The Cider House Rules" and "A Prayer for Owen Meany," among other novels. Irving's fourth novel, "The World According to Garp," became an international best-seller and later a film starring Robin Williams and Glenn Close. It was also a finalist for the American Book Award for hardcover fiction in 1979. Irving wrote the screenplay for the 1999 film adaptation of "The Cider House Rules" and won an Oscar for his work. His most recent novels include "The Fourth Hand," published in 2001, 2005's "Until I Find You" and "Last Night in Twisted River" (2009). He lives in between New Hampshire and Ontario, Canada.

The plan for this series is to point our readers one Friday each month to an online video featuring New Hampshire authors and their work. If you have a suggestion for a video we should include please let us know in the comments. 

FNV: Dayton Duncan & Ken Burns

For this month's installment of Friday Night Videos we present Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns speaking at the 2009 National Book Festival. This talk focuses on their National Parks project. This is from the video archive at the Library of Congress and requires Real Player (a free video player you can download).

Award-winning writer, documentary filmmaker and author Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns, producer of groundbreaking documentaries for more than 30 years,  appear at the National Book Festival.
 Ken Burns may be best known for his monumental documentary "The Civil War," which was viewed by more than 40 million people when it premiered in 1990, but he has been producing groundbreaking documentaries for more than 30 years, including "Baseball," "Jazz" and "The Brooklyn Bridge." He has won 10 Emmy Awards and also been twice-nominated for an Academy Award. His newest project is "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," to be broadcast on PBS in six episodes beginning Sept. 27. His collaborator on the series is Dayton Duncan. Ken Burns lives in New Hampshire.
Dayton Duncan is an award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker and the author of nine books. "Out West: A Journey Through Lewis & Clark's America" (2001) chronicles his retracing of the Lewis and Clark trail; it was a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate selection and finalist for the Western Writers of America's Spur Award. "Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery" (1997) and "Mark Twain" (2001) are companion books to documentary films he wrote and produced with Ken Burns. Dayton was a consultant on Burns' award-winning series for public television "The Civil War," "Baseball" and "Jazz." He is also Burns' collaborator on "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" book and the documentary of the same name. Duncan lives in New Hampshire.

The plan for this series is to point our readers one Friday each month to an online video featuring New Hampshire authors and their work. If you have a suggestion for a video we should include please let us know in the comments. 

Book of the Week #38

The Iciest, Diciest, Scariest Sled Ride Ever! by Rebecca Rule, illustrated by Jennifer Thermes (Yarmouth, Me.: Islandport Press, 2012)

This is Rebecca Rule's tenth book and her first for children. it received a starred review from Kirkus:

"Rule lengthens out one sled run into an entire book, but its pace is not slow and clunky, nor does it drag. Instead, she marvels in the details along the way, building up the suspense. Comically, the children attempt to get themselves and the sled to the top of the hill, taking each other out like dominoes as they relentlessly and repeatedly slide down to form a pig pile at the bottom. When they finally manage it, Thermes beautifully conveys the awesomeness of the hill they have chosen to tackle; none of the kids will speak their fears aloud, though their faces say volumes. The trip down is accomplished in just a few spreads, a ride so fast that tears, fears, screams and laughter all get whipped, 'like a beautiful scarf trailing wildly behind.' The watercolors give a wonderful array of viewpoints, showing the path of the sled run as well as close-ups of the children: fresh-faced and having the time of their lives." --Kirkus Reviews, 10/1/2012

Awarded a Kirkus Star, given to books of remarkable merit
"Rule lengthens out one sled run into an entire book, but its pace is not slow and clunky, nor does it drag. Instead, she marvels in the details along the way, building up the suspense ... Thermes beautifully conveys the awesomeness of the hill they have chosen to tackle; none of the kids will speak their fears aloud, though their faces say volumes ... The watercolors give a wonderful array of viewpoints, showing the path of the sled run as well as close-ups of the children: fresh-faced and having the time of their lives."
Parents beware: Children are likely to scout out the highest hill to try to replicate this amazing run."
– Kirkus Reviews - See more at: http://www.islandportpress.com/sledride.html#authorqa

Awarded a Kirkus Star, given to books of remarkable merit
"Rule lengthens out one sled run into an entire book, but its pace is not slow and clunky, nor does it drag. Instead, she marvels in the details along the way, building up the suspense ... Thermes beautifully conveys the awesomeness of the hill they have chosen to tackle; none of the kids will speak their fears aloud, though their faces say volumes ... The watercolors give a wonderful array of viewpoints, showing the path of the sled run as well as close-ups of the children: fresh-faced and having the time of their lives."
Parents beware: Children are likely to scout out the highest hill to try to replicate this amazing run."
– Kirkus Reviews - See more at: http://www.islandportpress.com/sledride.html#authorqa

Awarded a Kirkus Star, given to books of remarkable merit
"Rule lengthens out one sled run into an entire book, but its pace is not slow and clunky, nor does it drag. Instead, she marvels in the details along the way, building up the suspense ... Thermes beautifully conveys the awesomeness of the hill they have chosen to tackle; none of the kids will speak their fears aloud, though their faces say volumes ... The watercolors give a wonderful array of viewpoints, showing the path of the sled run as well as close-ups of the children: fresh-faced and having the time of their lives."
Parents beware: Children are likely to scout out the highest hill to try to replicate this amazing run."
– Kirkus Reviews - See more at: http://www.islandportpress.com/sledride.html#authorqa

The Center for the Book at the NH State Library featured this book on the “Discover Great Places Through Reading” map which will be distributed in the Pavillion of the States at the 2013 National Book Festival this Saturday.

Book of the Week #26

John Jay: Founding Father by Walter Stahr (NY: Hambledom and London, 2005)

"John Jay was a central figure in the early history of the American Republic. A New York lawyer, born in 1745, Jay served his country with the greatest distinction, and was one of the most influential of its Founding Fathers. In this first full-length biography of John Jay in almost 70 years, Walter Stahr brings Jay vividly to life, setting his astonishing career against the background of the American Revolution.
Drawing on substantial new material, Walter Stahr has written a full and highly readable portrait of both the public and private man. It is the story not only of John Jay himself, the most prominent native-born New Yorker of the eighteenth century, but also of his engaging and intelligent wife, Sarah, who accompanied her husband on his wartime diplomatic missions. This lively and compelling biography presents Jay in the light he deserves: as a major Founding Father, a true national hero, and a leading architect of America's future." --Jacket copy

  
The C-Span Video Library includes a book discussion on John Jay with Stahr.

Walter Stahr lives in Exeter, NH and will be a speaker at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC in September 2013. His new book, Seward: Lincoln's Indispensable Man, will be the focus of that talk.

Book of the Week #28

Wish by Joseph Monninger (NY: Delacorte Press, 2010)

"Bee's brother, Tommy, knows everything there is to know about sharks. He also knows that his life will be cut short by cystic fibrosis. And so does Bee. That's why she wants to make his wish-foundation-sponsored trip to swim with a great white shark an unforgettable memory. But wishes don't always come true. At least, not as expected. Only when Bee takes Tommy to meet a famous shark attack survivor and hard-core surfer does Tommy have the chance to live one day to the fullest. And in the sun-kissed ocean off a California beach, Bee discovers that she has a few secret wishes of her own. . . . " --Publisher's blurb

On a hot summer day a book about swimming and surfing in the Pacific seemed like a good choice. The story is set mostly in California, but the main characters are New Hampshire kids. I really liked the descriptions of surfing which were very exciting and made me feel like I was right there. This book, by NH author Joseph Monninger,  was selected by the NH Center for the Book to be featured as one of "52 Great Reads" at the 2012 National Book Festival.

Book Event Sampler

Here's a sample of the NH book events going on this week:

• Gibson's will host Michael Levy, author of Kosher Chinese at 7pm tonight, 7/28/11
• Tory Hill Readers Series will feature M.T. Anderson and Pat Fargnoli on Saturday, 7/30/11 at 7pm. If you want a preview, check out Anderson's talk at last year's National Book Festival.
• Also on Saturday, 7/30/11 Toadstool Bookshop, Peterborough will host two authors: Hari Kirin, author of Art & Yoga: Kundalini Awakening in Everyday Life, at 11am and Ann Lammers, discussing and signing The Jung-Kirsch Letters at 2pm.

Katherine Paterson is coming to NH!

Acclaimed author Katherine Paterson will be in New Hampshire on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 as part of the New Hampshire Humanities Council's Connections literacy program. Paterson will offer a talk on her work at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. This event is free and open to the public but preregistration is suggested. Contact the NH Humanities Council to reserve your seats.



Katherine Paterson received the Newbery Medal for Bridge to Terabithia (one of the best and saddest books of all time!) and Jacob Have I Loved. She won National Book Awards for The Master Puppeteer and The Great Gilly Hopkins. Her most recent novel, The Day of the Pelican, tells the story of a refugee family from Kosovo. Paterson has spoken at the National Book Festival and is the current Ambassador for Young People's Literature. This promises to be a great event!

Book of the Week #14

The Messiest Desk by Marty Kelley (Madison, Wisc: Zino Press, 2009)

If you have a messy desk you should consider this book as a warning. Things could turn out very badly.

The kids in Mr. McPatrick's class
Had messy desks. It's true.
And it wasn't just the children's desks,
The teacher's was messy, too.
But Benjamin Putt had the messiest desk
There had been since desks were invented.
And the horrible thing that happened to him
Was something he could have prevented.

Author, illustrator, and recovering second grade teacher Marty Kelley was born in Manchester, NH and currently lives in New Boston. Even though his website says he never watches TV, he has been on NHPTV.

The Center for the Book is starting to get ready for the National Book Festival which will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. between 9th and 14th Streets on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 25 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., rain or shine. The event is free and open to the public. The part of the festival we are involved in is the Pavillion of the States--which will be open just on Saturday--where we have a table at which we display info about New Hampshire and meet lots of kids (and grown-ups) who are at the festival. Each year we select one NH author to feature at our table and the 2011 choice is Marty Kelley.

Book of the Week #38

Born to be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World by Lita Judge (NY: Roaring Brook, 2010)

Lita Judge, author and illustrator, lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Her books have been chosen as Junior Library Guild selections, ALA Notable Books, Smithsonian Notable Books for Children, and have been nominated for various state book awards. Born to Be Giants fills the author's lifelong dream to investigate paleontologists' understanding of baby dinosaurs and their parents.

This book will be featured by the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire table in the Pavillion of the States at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. this Saturday.