Far flung worlds fill pages

Iola Reads will broach both fantasy and reality this academic year.
First up, in September, is book one of the “Atherton” trilogy, “House of Power.”
The young adult fantasy is by Patrick Carman, an acclaimed children’s author. It was a 2008 E.B. White Award nominee, and is a nominee for the 2009-2010 Truman award, said USD 257 Curriculum Director gail Dunbar, who coordinates Iola Reads.
In addition, the book was chosen in Kansas as a William Allen White award nominee. Because the selection of W.A. White books is done by state librarians and young readers, Dunbar said she felt the book would be well-received locally.
The world of Atherton has three dimensions: inhospitable highland cliffs, fertile tabletop lands where the agrarian population dwells, and the mysterious and well-guarded flatlands. An orphan living in the tabletop, Edgar, recognizes the realms are collapsing into each other.
“On Atherton, water is the most valuable source of life,” writes Sally Tibbetts on kidsread.com. The water “is controlled by the House of Power.” Below, in the flatlands, live the “dangerous, always hungry beasts known as the Cleaners.” Edgar ventures into their realm seeking a way to save his planet.
Edgar discovers “a book wedged behind some of the rocks leading up to the Highlands. He immediately knows this is part of the puzzle of his life and the mysteries surrounding Atherton,” writes Tibbetts.
Patrick Carman developed the Atherton series through drawings and journal entries he kept while on a “100-day journey,” he notes on the book’s official Web site. Atherton, he says, “became my home away from home, ... the characters my friends.”
“For me Atherton became a real place,” Carman said, “an escape from the road into a world gone wild.”
Dunbar was excited by the book’s interactive Web site that allows readers to play games and learn more about the mysterious planet.
“This is the first science fiction book we’ve done,” Dunbar said, noting the genre is very popular with young adult readers. It should also help reach Iola Reads young adult target population.
“Our main focus is youngt males,” Dunbar said. “We really want to bring that population in. They tend to stop reading when they hit middle school.”
Amazingly, while Carman canceled most of his fall speaking engagements after being named to a national conference in Washington, D.C., he rescheduled his date in Iola.
“On October 15, he’ll be here all day,” said Dunbar.
“He’ll do a presentation with the middle school students in the morning, and an evening presentation for the community,” she said.
Additional activities are still in the planning stage, Dunbar said.
Come spring, “Three Cups of Tea,” by Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greg Mortenson will be featured book of Iola Reads.
“There’s three versions of the book,” — for adults, young adults and a children’s edition based on the story, Dunbar said. That will allow fo ra nice twist on the Raed, books for all reading levels.
“This is the first time we’ve done a family read,” Dunbar said, noting the differing reading levels will allow for fuller community involvement in the program.
“Three Cuips of Tea” is the true story of a man who,a fter climibing “Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain”