Light Comes to Shadow Mountain

by Toni Buzzeo

Overview

Cora Mae Tipton is determined to light up her Appalachian community in this historical fiction novel from an award-winning author and former librarian.

It’s 1937 and the government is pushing to bring electricity to the mountains of southeastern Kentucky. It’s all Cora can think of; radios with news from around the world, machines that keep food cold, lightbulbs by which to read at night! Cora figures she can help spread the word by starting a school newspaper and convincing her neighbors to support the Rural Electrification Act.

But resistance to change isn’t easy to overcome, especially when it starts at home. Cora’s mother is a fierce opponent of electrification. She argues that protecting the landscape of the holler—the trees, the streams, the land that provides for their way of life—is their responsibility. But Cora just can’t let go of wanting more.

Lyrical, literary, and deeply heartfelt, this debut novel from an award-winning author-librarian speaks to family, friendship, and loss through the spirited perspective of a girl eager for an electrified existence, but most of all, the light of her mother’s love and acceptance.

Back matter includes an Author’s Note; further information on the Rural Electrification Act, the herbs and plants of Appalachia, the Pack Horse Library Project, and more; and a “Quick Questions” historical trivia section for readers.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823459025
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Toni Buzzeo is a New York Times bestselling children’s author. She has published twenty-nine picture books for kids as well as eleven books for teachers and librarians. A former librarian and college and high school writing teacher, Toni and her books have won many awards, including a 2013 Caldecott Honor for One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small. Her fictional human and animal characters echo children’s experiences in a variety of ways. Her nonfiction topics range from inspiring biographies of women scientists to board books about vehicles and transportation. Endlessly enthusiastic, Toni draws on her career experiences as an elementary school librarian in crafting her books and speaking with audiences of children in schools and libraries. Toni lives in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

"Shines a nuanced light on rarely explored historical events."—Kirkus Reviews

"Full of a nuanced depiction of the Appalachian region, spirited girls who dream of greatness, and neighbors always ready to lend a hand. . . . The heart of this book will appeal to readers of such classic novels as Carol Ryrie Brink's Caddie Woodlawn."—Booklist

"With each page turn, you will fall more deeply into this time and place, with all its hard reckonings. But despite the darkness, light emerges. Your heart will be filled with it."—Kathi Appelt, Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award Finalist for The Underneath

"Cora's spirit shines so bright the pages glow. She's exactly the friend you'd want beside you when things are darkest." —Sara Pennypacker, New York Times bestselling author of Pax
 
"This book is an invitation to meet delightful characters, dwell in an enticing place, and learn about an important time in our shared history. I love books that blend darkness and light—both literally and figuratively—to tell the truth, ignite my empathy, and show me the world from a fresh perspective. This is such a book."  —Lauren Wolk, Newbery Honor–winning author of Wolf Hollow

From the Publisher

2023-04-24
A young girl in a remote Appalachian community confronts resistance and dreams of the possibilities of electricity.

It’s 1937, and few rural Americans have access to electricity—in stark contrast to those in urban areas. So when 11-year-old Cora reads that it could be coming to her southeastern Kentucky home, an area settled by Scotch Irish immigrants, she sees nothing but the wonderful opportunities that this would mean: light to study by in the evenings, better schooling, and machines to help with chores. If enough people join the rural electric cooperative, electricity will come to Shadow Mountain. Not everyone shares Cora’s enthusiasm, though, especially her herbalist mother, who fears the erecting of electric poles will disrupt the flora and fauna and that this new technology will change the way of life she values. Cora, a determined and creative problem solver, works to raise money for her one-room schoolhouse to join the cooperative and to change the minds of those most resistant, and after a moment of considerable bravery during which electricity plays a role in a lifesaving event, her mother comes around. The book takes a sensitive approach that tempers the promise of progress with an appreciation of the traditions and ways of living that will be altered. Historical details about the Frontier Nursing Service and the Pack Horse Library Project add layers to the well-developed setting.

Shines a nuanced light on rarely explored historical events. (map, author’s note, notes and resources) (Historical fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews