Go on a Virtual Road Trip for National Read Across America Day
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It’s National Read Across America Day and even though we’re all stuck at home, books can take us anywhere – truly anywhere. Even though we can’t go on a cross-country road trip right now, our imaginations can still go on vacation. So come with us on a long drive from our HQ in Philadelphia all the way to sunny California. We’ll bring the snacks!
Philadelphia, PA
Before we top off the gas tank and get on the road, grab a pre-trip meal with Elizabeth Acevedo’s With the Fire on High. This Philly-set young adult novel centers on Emoni, a high school senior who lives with her toddler Babygirl and her grandmother, better known as ‘Buela. It’s an intergenerational household full to the brim with the flavors of Emoni’s kitchen. And one day she’s going to have her own restaurant – mark our words!
Buy the book:
Amazon | Books A Million | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Bloomington, IN
Stop for the night in Bloomington, Indiana with Carmen Maria Machado’s haunting memoir In the Dream House, which chronicles Machado’s time at Indiana University as a graduate student, and the abusive relationship she found herself in while there. It’s a memoir that aches with every turn. And if you find yourself safely at home, it’s essential reading.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Books A Million | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Cape Girardeau, MO
Stop for lunch in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the real-life inspiration for the fictional North Carthage, the setting for Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. If you’ve already read this bestselling thriller, give it another read with an eye toward setting, letting the landscape wash over you as Amy Dunne drives further and further away from home.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Books A Million | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Denver, CO
Take a long rest in Denver, Colorado with Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, a collection of short stories that spans decades in such an incredible way. The stories in this collection are unrelentingly powerful, centering on Indigenous Latina characters and the land they inhabit. Fajardo-Anstine’s sense of place is breathtaking, painting a vivid landscape with each new story. Honestly, it’s going to be hard to get out of the car after this one.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Books A Million | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Los Angeles, CA
Celebrate your arrival in sunny Los Angeles with Look by Zan Romanoff, a young adult novel that takes readers on an adventure through the city – stopping at parties and looking out on skylines without a care in the world. Well, except for the fact that everyone thinks that they own Lulu’s image, just because she went viral that one time.
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