Last Friday, Nov. 8, the old mining towns of Utah came alive for many BYU students.
Gloria Skurzynski, author of 36 young adult books and winner of several awards including the Indiana Young Hoosier Award, presented a reading of excerpts from her latest book, ROCKBUSTER.
The book follows Tommy Quinlan as he grows up in a small mining community in Utah surrounded by miners and unions.
While Tommy is a fictitious character, he meets many actual historical characters such as Bill Haywood and Joe Hill, who were both active union leaders at the beginning of the 20th century.
The story incorporates many historical facts, including some from famous court cases, which are meant to teach as well as entertain young adults.
Skurzynski is also co-authoring a new series with her daughter, Alane Ferguson, in a groundbreaking project with the National Geographic Society.
The 114-year-old society approached the two authors to write a series of fiction books set in the country's national parks. The society hopes the books will help educate children who might not enjoy National Geographic magazine's traditional straightforward, factual stories.
This is a revolutionary project for the society, which has never crossed the line into fiction before and is publishing the books.
"We wanted to reach out to young readers who might not be attracted to a straight, nonfiction presentation," said Barbara Lalicki, director of children's publishing for the National Geographic Society.
Skurzynski conducted extensive research to make sure the books were accurate.
"I've walked each step of the way, taking pictures and videos and notes," Skurzynski said. "The kids who read the book may want to retrace the path.
You don't want to ever have anything inaccurate for children.
Readers may follow the exact paths the characters in the book travel, thanks to Skurzynski's efforts.
The first book in the series, Wolf Stalker, is set in Yellowstone National Park and teaches readers about the Wolf Restoration Project.
There are currently eleven books in the series. The society hopes to eventually expand the series to include all 50 national parks, Lalicki said.
