The Ambassador of Nowhere Texas

Description

Decades after the Vietnam War and Toby's life-changing summer with Zachary Beaver, Toby's daughter Rylee is at a crossroads-her best friend Twig has started pushing her away just as Joe, a new kid from New York, settles into their small town of Antler. Rylee befriends Joe and learns that Joe's father was a first responder on 9/11. The two unlikely friends soon embark on a project to find Zachary Beaver and hopefully reconnect him with Rylee's father almost thirty years later. This beautiful novel is a tribute to friendships-old and new-and explores the challenges of rebuilding what may seem lost or destroyed. For readers of Wishtree and See You in the Cosmos. Christy Ottaviano Books

Kimberly Willis Holt is the author of many award-winning novels for young adults and children, including The Lost Boy's Gift, Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel, Dear Hank Williams, and When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, winner of a National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Born in Pensacola, Florida, Holt has lived all over the US and the world. She now lives in Texas with her family. kimberlywillisholt.com

A Junior Library Guild Selection In this companion to the author's memorable When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, 30 years have passed and it's 2001. Evocatively written ("stiff as burnt bacon"), this is an altogether absorbing and affecting novel. It's obvious that Holt loves her fully realized characters and their small-town setting, and readers can't help but feel the same. --Booklist, starred review Holt deftly intertwines the stories of the individuals from both books, each set at a pivotal time in our country's past, the earlier work during the Vietnam War and the latter in the aftermath of 9/11. This volume is a literary reunion of sorts, but more important is its deep examination of the meaning and responsibilities of friendship, family, and community. --Horn Book A quiet celebration of friendship, no matter how brief. --Publishers Weekly