20th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Nominees

This list represents the books submitted for nomination in the 20th Annual Minnesota Book Awards.  All books meeting the eligibility guidelines were included.  None of the titles were yet judged.  Finalists in each category were selected in late January 2008.

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Children’s Literature

John Adams – The Dragonfly Door (Feather Rock Books, Inc.), illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson

Derek Anderson – Romeo and Lou Blast Off (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Marion Dane Bauer – A Mama for Owen (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), illustrated by John Butler

Marion Dane Bauer – Wonders of America: The Mighty Mississippi (Aladdin Paperbacks), illustrated by John Wallace

Marion Dane Bauer – Wonders of America: Mount Rushmore (Aladdin Paperbacks), illustrated by John Wallace

Marion Dane Bauer – Wonders of America: The Statue of Liberty (Aladdin Paperbacks), illustrated by John Wallace

Mary Bevis – Wolf Song (Raven Productions, Inc.), illustrated by Consie Powell

Melinda Braun – Luella (Savage Press)

Claire Buchwald – Are You Ready For Me? (Gryphon Press), illustrated by Amelia Hansen

Claire Buchwald – Max Talks to Me (Gryphon Press), illustrated by Karen Ritz

Greg Budig – I Hear the Wind (Stemmer House)

Nancy Carlson – Loudmouth George Earns His Allowance (Lerner Publishing Group)

Nancy Carlson – I Don’t Like to Read (Viking)

Mary Casanova – Dog Watch: Extreme Stunt Dogs (Aladdin Paperbacks)

Mary Casanova – Dog Watch: To Catch a Burglar (Aladdin Paperbacks)

Mary Casanova – Some Dog! (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), illustrated by Ard Hoyt

Connie Colwell Miller – Disgusting Jobs (Capstone Press)

Connie Colwell Miller – Disgusting Bugs (Capstone Press)

Timothy Culbert & Rebecca Kajander – Be the Boss of Your Stress: Self-Care For Kids (Free Spirit Publishing)

Michael Dahl – The Book That Dripped Blood (Stone Arch Books)

Michael Dahl – The Smashing Scroll (Stone Arch Books)

Joy Morgan Dey – Agate: What Good is a Moose? (Lake Superior Port Cities), illustrated by Nikki Johnson

Kate DiCamillo – Great Joy (Candlewick Press), illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Matt Doeden – Lost at Sea: Tami Oldham Ashcraft’s Story of Survival (Capstone Press)

Sandy Donovan – Will Rogers: Cowboy, Comedian, and Commentator (Compass Point Books)

Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick – Dude That’s Rude! (Get Some Manners) (Free Spirit Publishing)

Catherine Friend – The Perfect Nest (Candlewick Press), illustrated by John Manders

Thomas S. Greenspon – What to Do When Good Enough Isn’t Good Enough: The Real Deal on Perfectionism (Free Spirit Publishing)

Warren Hanson – Kiki’s Hats: Our Gifts Live On and On (Tristan Publishing)

Christopher L. Harbo – The Explosive World of Volcanoes with Max Axiom, Super Scientist (Capstone Press), illustrated by Tod Smith

Lynne Jonell – Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat (Henry Holt and Company)

Jill Kalz – Farmer Cap (Picture Window Books)

Victoria Kasten – Mighty Stallion 4: Dancer’s Dream (self published)

Victoria Kasten – Mighty Stallion 5: A Stallion’s Heart (self published)

David LaRochelle – The End (Arthur A. Levine Books), illustrated by Richard Egielsiki

Marybeth Lorbiecki – Paul Bunyan’s Sweetheart (Sleeping Bear Press), illustrated by Renée Graef

Jeff Lower – Kat’s Magic Bubble (Savage Press), illustrated by Pegi Ballenger

Lise Lunge-Larsen – The Adventures of Thor the Thunder God (Houghton Mifflin), illustrated by Jim Madsen

Patrick Mader – Oma Finds a Miracle (Beaver’s Pond Press), illustrated by Andrew Holmquist

Hope Irvin Marston – My Little Book of Manatees (Windward Publishing), illustrated by Stephanie Mirocha

Tracy Nelson Maurer – Storm Codes (Windward Publishing), illustrated by Christina Rodriguez

Alison McGhee and Peter H. Reynolds – Someday (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

Deb Mercier – The Captain’s Hat (Minnewaska Press), illustrated by Faythe Mills

Kathleen Moriarty – Wiil Waal (Minnesota Humanities Center), illustrated by Amin Amir

Karen M. Pavlicin – Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest (Alma Little)

Mia Posada – Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg (Millbrook Press: Lerner Publishing Group)

Phyllis Root – Aunt Nancy and the Bothersome Visitors (Candlewick Press), illustrated by David Parkins

Trisha Speed Shaskan – This Is Anna (Picture Window Books), illustrated by Burak Sentruk

Joyce Sidman – This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness (Houghton Mifflin), illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

Emily Sohn – The Illuminating World of Light with Max Axiom: Super Scientist (Capstone Press), illustrated by Nick Derington

Anne Stewart – I Saw a Moose Today (Raven Productions Inc.)

Bob Temple – The Titanic: An Interactive History Adventure (Capstone Press)

Elizabeth Verdick – Pacifiers Are Not Forever (Free Spirit Publishing), illustrated by Marieka Heinlen

Kathy-jo Wargin – The Voyageur’s Paddle (Sleeping Bear Press), illustrated by David Geister

Eva Wells – Wishing I Was Fishing (Beaver’s Pond Press), illustrated by Chandra Dale

Michael Willert – Long Neck (Outskirts Press), illustrated by Victor Guiza

Michael Willert – Wanted Billy the Bear (Outskirts Press), illustrated by Jill Brodersen

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General Nonfiction

Charles Baxter – The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot (Graywolf Press)

John D. Bessler – Writing for Life: The Craft of Writing for Everyday Living (Bottlecap Books)

Jae Bryson – Playing for Paterno: A Father’s and Son’s Recollections of Playing for JoePa (Triumph Books)

James Dawes – That the World May Know: Bearing Witness to Atrocity (Harvard University Press)

Lynne Eldridge & David Borgeson – Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time: Practical Advice for Preventing Cancer (Beaver’s Pond Press)

Anne Fletcher – Weight Loss Confidential (Houghton Mifflin Company)

Dr. Greg Fors – Why We Hurt: A Complete Physical and Spiritual Guide to Healing Your Chronic Pain (Llewellyn Publishing)

Wayne Gudmundson – A Considered View: The Photographs of Wayne Gudmundson (North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies)

Sister Jeremy Hall, OSB – Silence, Solitude, Simplicity: A Hermit’s Love Affair with a Noisy, Crowded, and Complicated World (Liturgical Press)

Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François – Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking (St. Martin’s Press)

Wing Young Huie – Looking for Asian America: An Ethnographic Tour (University of Minnesota Press)

Dr. Mic Hunter – Honor Betrayed: Sexual Abuse in America’s Military (Barricade Books)

Mary Huntley & Edna Thayer – A Mirthful Spirit, Embracing Laughter for Wellness (Beaver’s Pond Press)

Paul Langer, DPM – Great Feet for Life: Footcare and Footwear for Healthy Aging (Fairview Press)

Sidney Levinsohn – Witness a Miracle – Your Own!: Twelve new scientific discoveries that can slow down, stop, and even reverse serious illness - naturally! (Nodin Press)

Mary Ludington – The Nature of Dogs (Simon & Schuster)

Nancy Manahan & Becky Bohan - Living Consciously, Dying Gracefully: A Journey with Cancer and Beyond (Beaver’s Pond Press)

Judy McCabe – Thoughts of Home (50/50 Publishing)

Douglas McGill – here: A Global Citizen’s Journey (artpacks)

Dan McKanan – Touching the World: Christian Communities Transforming Society (Liturgical Press)

K. Lothar Meisel with Betty Vos – The Meisel Family Violinmakers: Klingenthal, Vogtland, Saxony (Singing River Publications)

Barbara Moore – The Mystic Faerie Tarot (Llewellyn Worldwide)

Justin O’Brien (Swami Jaidev Bharati) – Superconscious Meditation (Yes International Publishers)

David L. Parker – Before Their Time: The World of Child Labor (Quantuck Lane Press)

Karen M. Pavlicin – Life After Deployment: Military Families Share Reunion Stories and Advice (Elva Resa Publishing)

Andie Peterson – A Second Look: Native Americans in Children’s Literature (AuthorHouse)

Adnan Qureshi – Core of Wisdom (authorHouse)

Jane Rhodes – Framing the Black Panthers: The Spectacular Rise of a Black Power Icon (The New Press)

Pat Samples – The Secret Wisdom of a Woman’s Body: Freeing Yourself to Live Passionately and Age Fearlessly (Llewellyn Worldwide)

Thomas Saylor – Long Hard Road: American POWs During World War II (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Susanna Short – Bundt Cake Bliss: Delicious Desserts from Midwest Kitchens (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Ben Sosniecki – Through Western Prairies (Nodin Press)

Stan Tekiela – Majestic Eagles (Adventure Publications)

Jay Walljasper – The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Placemaking (New Society Publishers)

Jim Walsh - The Replacements All Over But the Shouting: An Oral History (Voyageur Press)

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Genre Fiction

Gerald Anderson – Death Before Dinner: An Otter Tail County Mystery (Midnight Ink: Llewellyn Worldwide)

Laura Childs – Frill Kill (Berkley Prime Crime: Penguin Group)

Mark Combes – Running Wrecked (Midnight Ink: Llewellyn Worldwide)

Philip Donlay – Code Black (IBooks)

Monica Ferris – Knitting Bones (Berkley Prime Crime: Penguin Group)

Vince Flynn – Protect and Defend (Simon & Schuster)

Margaret Frazer – The Traitor’s Tale (Berkley Prime Crime: Penguin Group)

Catherine Friend – The Spanish Pearl (Bold Strokes Books, Inc)

S.A. Gordon – Murder Picnic Mysteries (Taconite Runes)

Michael Hachey – Means to an End (Avalon Books)

Ellen Hart – The Mortal Groove (St. Martin’s Minotaur)

Kathleen Hills – The Kingdom Where Nobody Dies (Poisoned Pen Press)

David Housewright – Dead Boyfriends (St. Martin’s Minotaur)

David Huebner – Cowbird (JLF Press)

William Kent Krueger – Thunder Bay: A Cork O’Connor Mystery (Atria Books: Simon & Schuster

Charles Locks – Greater Trouble in the Lesser Antilles (Scarletta Press)

Mary Logue – Maiden Rock: A Claire Watkins Mystery (Bleak House Books)

Jess Lourey – June Bug (Midnight Ink: Llewellyn Worldwide)

Linda Morganstein – Ordinary Furies: An Alexis Pope Mystery (Spinsters Ink)

David Olson – Burden (AuthorHouse)

Rick Shefchik – Amen Corner (Poisoned Pen Press)

Jerry Van Amerongen – Practicing People Skills on Ballard Street: The Comic Art of Jerry Van Amerongen (Syren Book Company)

Marilyn Victor & Michael Allan Mallory – Death Roll (Fivestar: Thorndike Press)

Jen Wright – Killer Storm: A Jo Spence Mystery (Clover Valley Press, LLC)

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Andris A. Baltins – Love Letters: Reflections on Living with Loss (Syren Book
    Company)

Larry Berle – A Golfer’s Dream: How a Regular Guy Conquered the Golf Digest List of America’s Top 100 Golf Courses (LB Productions)

Mary Casanova – Mary Casanova and You (Libraries Unlimited)

Dennis Cass – Head Case: How I Almost Lost My Mind Trying to Understand My Brain (HarperCollins Publishers)

Sam Cook – Moving Waters: Adventures on Northern Rivers (Stone Ridge Press)

Carol Curoe & Robert Curoe – Are There Closets in Heaven?: A Catholic Father and Lesbian Daughter Share Their Story (Syren Book Company)

Mark Douglass – Flashbacks of Abuse: How a Machine Gun Toting Sociopath Freed Me From the Chains of My Childhood (Expert Publishing)

Arvonne Fraser – She’s No Lady: Politics, Family, and International Feminism (Nodin Press)

Deanna Germain with Connie Lounsbury – Reaching Past the Wire: A Nurse at Abu Ghraib (Borealis Books: Minnesota Historical Society Press)

James Grimm – The Heart’s Alphabet: Daring to Live with Cerebral Palsy (Tasora Books: Prism Publishing Center)

Patricia Hampl – The Florist's Daughter (Harcourt)

Bill Holm – The Window of Brimnes: An American in Iceland (Milkweed Editions)

Walter R. Jacobs – ghostbox: a memoir (iUniverse)

Kevin Kling – The Dog Says How (Borealis Books: Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Jim Klobuchar – Pieces of My Heart: Everyone Has an Everest (Nodin Press)

Laurie Lindeen – Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story (Atria Books)

Amy M. Marek – Fighting For My Life: Growing Up With Cancer (Fairview Press)

Arlene Nelson – Crackers and Milk (Graham Megyeri Books)

Judith Pearson – Plaintiff Blues: Job Discrimination and the Chilling Effect of Retaliation (Lake Vermilion Publishing)

Linda Knebel Pruden - Reflections on a Changing Family: A Recipe Book of Life (Beaver's Pond Press)

Al Sicherman – Uncle Al's Geezer Salad (Syren Book Company)

Glen Sonmor with Ross Bernstein – Old Time Hockey:  Memories and Musings of a Lifetime on Ice (Bernstein Books)

James Peter Taylor & Kathleen Taylor – Willow in a Storm: A Memoir (Scarletta Press)

Joni Tevis – The Wet Collection (Milkweed Editions)

Krista Tippett – Speaking of Faith (Viking)

Catherine Watson – Home on the Road: Further Dispatches from the Ends of the Earth (Syren Book Company)

Marlene Woelm – The Ghosts on 87th Lane: A True Story (Llewellyn Worldwide)

Annelee Woodstrom – Empty Chairs (McCleery and Sons Publishing)

Vincent Wyckoff – Beware of Cat and Other Encounters of a Letter Carrier (Borealis Books: Minnesota Historical Society Press)

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Annette Atkins – Creating Minnesota: A History from the Inside Out (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Ross Bernstein – More Frozen Memories: Celebrating a Century of Minnesota Hockey (Nodin Press)

Craig Blacklock – Minnesota’s North Shore (Blacklock Photography Galleries)

Dave Bosanko – Fish of Minnesota Field Guide (Adventure Publications)

Tim Brady – Gopher Gold: Legendary Figures, Brilliant Blunders, and Amazing Feats at the University of Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Joan C. Brainard & Richard E. Leonard – Three Bold Ventures: The History of North Oaks, Minnesota (Beaver’s Pond Press)

Barry Casselman – North Star Rising:  Minnesota Politicians on the National Stage (Pogo Press)

John Diers and Aaron Isaacs – Twin Cities by Trolley: The Streetcar Era in Minneapolis and St. Paul (University of Minnesota Press)

Carroll Engelhardt – Gateway to the Northern Plains: Railroads and the Birth of Fargo and Moorhead (University of Minnesota Press)

Chris Faust – Nocturnes (University of Minnesota Press)

Mary Ann Feldman, Patricia Hampl, Judith Kogan, Michael Steinberg, Jan Jeong Trenka & Margaret Wurtele – The Schubert Club 125th Anniversary: Musings and Memories (Nodin Press)

Mary Firestone – Dayton’s Department Store (Arcadia Publishing)

William D. Green – A Peculiar Imbalance: The Fall and Rise of Racial Equality in Early Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Joyce E. Hakala – The Rowan Tree: The Lifework of Marjorie Edgar, Girl Scout Pioneer and Folklorist (Pikebone Music)

Krista Fenstad Hanson – Minnesota Open House: A Guide to Historic House Museums (Borealis Books: Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Moira F. Harris – Wonders on Ice:  Figure Skating in Minnesota (Pogo Press)

Bill Holm & Doug Ohman – Cabins of Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Doug Hoverson – Land of Amber Waters: The History of Brewing in Minnesota (University of Minnesota Press)

Joan Jarvis Ellison – The Faces of Change (Otter Tail County Historical Society)

Steven J. Keillor – Shaping Minnesota’s Identity: 150 Years of State History (Pogo Press)

Dave Kenney – Twin Cities Picture Show: A Century of Moviegoing (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Kathryn Strand Koutsky & Linda Koutsky – Minnesota State Fair: An Illustrated History (Coffee House Press)

Robert (Bob) Latz – Jews in Minnesota Politics: The Inside Stories (Nodin Press)

Mike Lynch – Mike Lynch’s Minnesota Weatherwatch: A Complete Guide for Weather-Obsessed Minnesotans (Voyageur Press)

Al McIntosh – Selected Chaff: The Wartime Columns of Al McIntosh (MBI Publishing)

Mary Ellen Mancina-Batinich – Italian Voices: Making Minnesota Our Home (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Larry Millett – AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Ervin Oelke – Saga of the Grain:  A Tribute to Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Growers (Hobar Publications)

Georgia Ray – Grace Flandrau: Voice Interrupted  (Edinborough Press)

Cheri Register & Jacqueline R. deVries – Living Faith: The First 150 Years (Shearson Publishing)

Joel A. Rippel – Game of My Life: Minnesota Memorable Stories of Gophers Football (Sports Publishing, LLC)

Kate Roberts – Minnesota 150: The People, Places, and Things That Shape Our State (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Leigh Roethke – Latino Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Ron Schara – Ron Schara’s Minnesota Bound (Tristan Outdoors)

Colleen Sheehy – Seed Queen: The Story of Crop Art and the Amazing Lillian Colton (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Bob Showers – Minnesota North Stars: History and Memories with Lou Nanne (Beaver’s Pond Press)

John Toren – The Seven States of Minnesota: Driving tours through the history, geology, culture, and natural glory of the North Star State (Nodin Press)

Chia Youyee Vang – Hmong in Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Bruce White – We Are at Home: Pictures of the Ojibwe People (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

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Ruth F. Brin – The Most Beautiful Monday in 1961: A Novel (Lerner)

Sias Bryant – Remnants of Shadow and Light (Bedazzled Ink Publishing)

Eric Davis – Hopes and Dreams: Stuck on AutoDrive (AutoDrive LLC)

Valerie Guimarães – Journey From Frog Creek (self published)

Marianne Herrmann – Signaling for Rescue (New Rivers Press)

Nathan Jorgenson – The Mulligan (Flat Rock Publishing)

Garrison Keillor – Pontoon (Viking)

Lori L. Lake – Shimmer and Other Stories (Regal Crest)

Lorna Landvik – The View from Mount Joy (Ballantine Books)

Micheal Lane – The Wisdom of Yawdy Rum (Expert Publishing Inc.)

Jim Lavigne – Living on Bar Time (Xlibris Corporation)

Brian Malloy – Brendan Wolf  (St. Martin’s Press)

Heather McElhatton – Pretty Little Mistakes (HarperCollins Publishers)

Mark Munger – Esther's Race (Cloquet River Press)

Forrest Peterson – Good Ice (North Star Press of St. Cloud)

Wang Ping – The Last Communist Virgin (Coffee House Press)

Yuko Taniguchi – The Ocean in the Closet (Coffee House Press)

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Calvin Benson – Dakota Boy (Calyx Press Duluth)

Kristen Dierking – Northern Oracle (Spout Press)

Larry Gavin – Least Resistance (Red Dragonfly Press)

Maureen Gibbon – Magdalena: Prose Poems (White Pine Press)

Betty Jane Gove – Song from the Dancing Doll (Line Publishing)

Ann Iverson – Definite Space (Holy Cow! Press)

Diane Jarvenpa – The Tender Wild Things (New Rivers Press)

Louis Jenkins – North of the Cities (Will o' the Wisp Books)

Deborah Keenan – Willow Room, Green Door: New and Selected Poems (Milkweed Editions)

Susan Deborah King – One-Breasted Woman (Holy Cow! Press)

James P. Lenfestey – A Cartload of Scrolls: 100 Poems in the Manner of T’Ang Dynasty Poet Han-shan (Holy Cow! Press)

Éireann Lorsung – music for landing planes by (Milkweed Editions)

Leslie Adrienne Miller – The Resurrection Trade (Graywolf Press)

C. Mikal Oness – Oracle Bones (Lewis Clark Press)

Sheila Packa – The Mother Tongue (Clayx Press Duluth)

Joe Paddock – A Sort of Honey (Red Dragonfly Press)

William Reichard – The Brightness: Poems (Mid-List Press)

Edith Rylander – Hive Dancer (Red Dragonfly Press)

Sun Yung Shin – Skirt Full of Black (Coffee House Press)

Thomas R. Smith – Waking before Dawn (Red Dragonfly Press)

Francine Marie Tolf – Blue-Flowered Sundress (Pudding House Publications)

Brian Thao Worra – On the Other Side of the Eye (Sam's Dot Publishing)

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Mary Casanova – The Klipfish Code (Houghton Mifflin)

Nancy Crocker – Billie Standish Was Here (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Sandy Donovan – Teens in South Korea (Compass Point Books)

Loretta Ellsworth – In Search of Mockingbird (Henry Holt and Company)

Ron Gamer – Hidden Chance: Secrets of the Hermit’s Hideaway (Adventure Publications)

Dianne Ganzer & Sammy St. Croix – Steel Destiny (PublishAmerica)

Pete Hautman – All-in (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Patrick Jones – Chasing Tail Lights (Walker and Company)

Victoria Kasten – IronHeart (self published)

Audrey McClellan – Rosie’s Cèilidh (Beaver’s Pond Press)

Alison McGhee – Falling Boy: A Novel (Picador)

Sandra McLeod Humphrey – Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, Popularity, and Put-Downs (Prometheus Books)

Jane St. Anthony – Grace Above All (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

Pat Schmatz – Circle the Truth (Lerner Publishing Group)

Jeffrey W. Tenney – The Crossing Wolves (Whistle Creek Press)

Will Weaver – Defect (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

Joan M. Wolf – Someone Named Eva (Clarion Books)

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The Minnesota Book Awards is a Capital City project, led by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library,
in consortium with the Saint Paul Public Library and the Mayor’s office in the City of Saint Paul. 
Outreach partners for the Book Awards include the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA)
and the Minnesota Library Association (MLA).