[This list was originally published by the Forsyth Library, Ft. Hays State University. This list also appeared on the web site for Kathleen Sebelius, just prior to her second inauguration in January 2007. ]

Favorite Kansas Books

In December 2006, the Kansas Center for the Book at the State Library of Kansas asked people in the Kansas book community the following question: what is your favorite book by Kansans or about Kansas ?

The list can now be seen on the following web site: www.bestofkansas2007.com [No longer available.]

It is a list of favorites, and they represent books for all ages and genders; some are fiction and some are non-fiction; and some are for scholarly readers and some are for lay readers.

Here are the top twelve Favorite Kansas Books. See if your favorite is in the list!

• Climbing Kansas Mountains by George Shannon - A children's story that features a young boy whose father takes him climbing on a Kansas mountain (see below for what a Kansas Mountain is!). The young boy sees the landscape of Kansas in a whole new way.
• The Last Cattle Drive by Robert Day - A hilarious story of a modern day cattle drive in the era of automobiles. The book has recently been reprinted for the 30th anniversary of its first publication. Robert Day taught at Fort Hays State from 1965-1970 in the English Department.
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - Based on a true crime that took place in Holcomb, Kansas , the book has received international acclaim and was made into a movie.
• S is for Sunflower: A Kansas Alphabet by Devin and Corey Scillian - written for children, this book tells about Kansas through the alphabet. A is for Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (Railroad)…
• The Moon Butter Route by Max Yoho - Amok among bootleggers and moonshiners in Southeast Kansas through the eyes of 12 year old Wally!
• The Kansas Guidebook for Explorers by Marci Penner - A treasure of a book! Features attractions, restaurants, architecture and many other things in over 500 Kansas cities and towns.
• Steal Away Home by Lois Ruby - A young adult mystery that takes place in two parallel eras - Bleeding Kansas and the 1990's.
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - so well known that when we tell people we are from Kansas , almost always they say “Oh, where Dorothy and Toto are from!”
• Pioneer Women: Voices from the Kansas Frontier by Joanna L. Stratton - A series of autobiographical accounts that bring the frontier to life in the eyes of the women living during that time.
• PrairyErth (A Deep Map): An Epic History of the Tallgrass Prairie by William Least Heat-Moon - A nonfiction book written like a fiction novel, the author takes you deep into Chase County, Kansas with anecdotes from the past and the present.
• The Revival by Max Yoho - It's Revival Week in Epic, Kansas . You won't find Epic on a map, but it could be the town where you grew up just like 11 year old Edwin.
• 399 Kansas Characters by Dave Webb - Kansas has been home to many interesting people who have contributed greatly to our heritage. This book has 399 of them.

These books are on display in the case between the reference and reserve desks at Forsyth Library.

A Kansas Mountain is those big white towers in almost every town - a grain elevator!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 24th, 2007 at 5:15 pm.