Vol. 35, No. 1
March, 2005

ONEBOOKAZ 2005

Every April Arizonans are encouraged to all read the same book and then meet in discussion groups or participate in other activities to celebrate reading in Arizona. This year OneBook is actually two books! One is fiction and the other is non-fiction, but they both deal with the same event, the disappearance of Glen and Bessie Hyde on the Colorado River in 1928. The couple decided to spend their honeymoon running the Colorado through Glen Canyon and the Grand Canyon in a flat-bottom wooden boat and without life jackets at a time when the river was still very wild. Sunk Without a Sound by Brad Dimock (RC57394 and AZC2568) is an exploration of what is known of their trip up to the time they disappeared and includes their family backgrounds, the subsequent search for the pair, and the many rumors and legends that grew up around their disappearance. The story makes for fascinating reading.

Grand Ambition by Lisa Michaels (AZC2687) tells the same story, but the novel is centered on the trip itself. The author creates a very believable scenario that ends with her vision of what really happened to Glen and Bessie all those years ago. Both books are ‘good reads’ and capture a moment of Arizona history that remains a mystery to this day.

Frindle by Andrew Clements (RC46654) is this year’s selection for OneBookAZ For Kids. In this story, fifth-grader Nick encounters his first difficult class, language arts with Mrs. Granger. He and his classmates decide to beat her at her own game by inventing a new name for their pens, calling them ‘frindles’, even though doing so lands them in detention every day.

OneBookAZ will launch at the Arizona Book Festival on Saturday, April 2, with all three OneBook authors speaking that day. The Festival, a free event held at the Carnegie Center, 1101 West Washington Street in Phoenix, runs from 10 am to 5 pm and features many exhibitors, three stages, and day-long activities celebrating books and reading.

Arizona will celebrate OneBook throughout the month of April. Contact your local library for activities in your area or check out the OneBook website at www.onebookaz.org.