YA FICTION | AVAILABLE NOW
THE LUCKIEST SCAR ON EARTH
by ANA MARIA SPAGNA
"This coming–of–age story will appeal to extreme sports enthusiasts, environmental activists, and fans of strong female characters."
—BOOKLIST
Fourteen-year-old Charlotte moves from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to Washington's Cascade Mountains, where she hopes to continue training for the national snowboarding championships. After her father signs an anti-development petition, she loses access to the local resort and takes to the backcountry, where she meets nature on its own terms. When adventure turns to tragedy, Charlotte learns that even our deepest scars can be lucky ones.
February 2017 | Young Adult Fiction | 978-1-937226-66-4 | 200 pp | $14.95
“Think Carl Hiaasen’s Hoot meets Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl. Recommended for purchase for most school and public libraries.”
—SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ANA MARIA SPAGNA is the author of nine books including the young adult novel The Luckiest Scar on Earth, Pushed, and most recently the poetry chapbook Mile Marker Six. Her work has been recognized by the River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Prize, the Society for Environmental Journalists, the Nautilus Book Awards, and as a four-time finalist for the Washington State Book Award. A former backcountry trails worker, Ana Maria now teaches in MFA programs at Antioch University, Los Angeles and Western Colorado University.
ALSO BY THE AUTHOR
PUSHED:
Miners, a Merchant, and (Maybe) a Massacre
Amid the current alarming rise in xenophobia, Ana Maria Spagna stumbled upon a story: one day in 1875, according to lore, on a high bluff over the Columbia River, a group of local Indigenous people murdered a large number of Chinese miners—perhaps as many as three hundred—and pushed their bodies over a cliff into the river. The little-known incident was dubbed the Chelan Falls Massacre. Despite having lived in the area for more than thirty years, Spagna had never before heard of this event. She set out to discover exactly what happened and why.
Consulting historians, archaeologists, Indigenous elders, and even a grave dowser, Spagna uncovers three possible versions of the event: Native people as perpetrators; White people as perpetrators; It didn't happen at all. Pushed: Miners, a Merchant, and (Maybe) a Massacre replaces convenient narratives of the American West with nuance and complexity, revealing the danger in forgetting or remembering atrocities when history is murky and asking what allegiance to a place requires.
"In her quest for answers, Spagna explores how xenophobia shaped US history, particularly in the American West. A thoughtful, well-written addition to any history collection.”
—BOOKLIST
PRAISE FOR THE LUCKIEST SCAR ON EARTH
Named one of Multnomah County Library's Best Books of 2017
“It’s delightful to see a female snowboarder as narrator, and readers will find distinctive characters and an underrepresented subject.”
“A thoughtful novel that centers around the maturation of both a girl and her family, and which intimates that sometimes the most difficult periods can also be the most beautiful.”
"This coming–of–age story will appeal to extreme sports enthusiasts, environmental activists, and fans of strong female characters."
—BOOKLIST
“Think Carl Hiaasen’s Hoot meets Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl. Recommended for purchase for most school and public libraries.”
—SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
“Get obsessed; stay obsessed. I remembered these words, and Ana Maria Spagna's powerful father/daughter duo, long after I finished her captivating novel. Young snowboarders, environmental activists, and teens who champion the underdog will find themselves obsessed cover-to-cover with The Luckiest Scar on Earth.”
—MELISSA HART, author of Avenging the Owl
“We're right there with Charlotte as she navigates avalanche–prone backcountry, races in snowboarding competitions, and searches for endangered salmon. Packed with profound questions and gems of wisdom, this story will stay with me for a long time to come.”
—LAURA RESAU, author of Red Glass and The Queen of Water
“A gorgeous exploration of falling in love in unexpected ways—with a new place, with a new parent, and with a new ethic. This novel is a coming–of–age in the truest and fullest sense.”
—LAURA PRITCHETT, author of Red Lightning
“Ana Maria Spagna takes the reader into a heart-stopping, snowboarding ride to vividly experience physical, emotional, and environmental scars.”
—CARMEN BERNIER-GRAND, author of César: ¡Sí, se puede! Yes, We Can!
