Radio Bristol Book Club

This month the Radio Bristol Book Club examines Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars.

Date: Thursday, May 23, 2019

Time: 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Location: On the air at Radio Bristol! 

Inspired by the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s special exhibit Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children’s Literature, readers from BCM and the Bristol Public Library are coming together to explore books featured in the exhibit during a special program on Radio Bristol.

Hosted by Bristol Public Library Executive Director Amy Kimani and museum Head Curator Dr. René Rodgers, the Radio Bristol Book Club will air every 4th Thursday through June from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Book discussions will dig deep into the feelings and questions raised by each selection, learn more about the authors, and celebrate the joys of being a bookworm!

Listeners may tune in to Radio Bristol at 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, online at ListenRadioBristol.org, or download the free Radio Bristol mobile app.

About Summer of the Swans

A children’s novel written by Betsy Byars, Summer of the Swans earned the Newbery Medal in 1971.

All summer Sara Godfrey has fretted over herself, her impossible body, her terrible new haircut. One moment she’s elated, the next, she’s in tears. And she can’t figure out why. Maybe her wildly changing moods are tied to the sudden and unaccountable appearance of the swans, which hold the rapt attention of Charlie, Sara’s mentally handicapped brother, who she loves far more than herself these days. In fact, it will be the sudden disappearance of Charlie that will compel Sara to abandon her own small, annoying miseries, and lose herself in searching for him. In her anguish, Sara turns to Joe Melby, whom she has long despised, and together they search through the dense woods and rough fields to find him. Sara knows that she will never be the same again.

About the author

Betsy Byars has written over sixty books for young people. Her first published in 1962 and since then she has published regularly. Her books have been translated into nineteen languages and she gets thousands of letters from readers in the United States and from all over the world.

She has won many awards. Among them are the Newbery Medal in 1971 for her novel The Summer of the Swans, the American Book Award in 1981 for The Night Swimmers, The Edgar (for the best mystery for young people) in 1992 for Wanted..Mud Blossom and the Regina Medal by the Catholic Library Association for the body of her work. She especially values her many state awards which were voted on by the readers of the state.