Great Reads from Great Places
The Great Reads from Great Places: Roadmap to Reading is a program of the Library of Congress and is administered through the Affiliate Centers for the Book in each state and jurisdiction. Humanities Montana is home to the Montana Center for the Book. Each year, the affiliate centers for the book select an adult and a youth title to represent their state at the National Book Festival. The chosen titles celebrate the unique literary heritage of the state.
Great Reads from Great Places Supports:
2025 Great Reads Selections
Youth Selection
The Mystery of Mystic Mountain
By: Janet Fox
A girl tackles a summer filled with mystery, treasure, and learning to be her true self in this middle grade adventure that’s a modern day Holes set on a dusty dude ranch in Montana. Becca Soloway, a twelve-year-old from Connecticut, trades dreams of beach days and popularity for a summer stuck at Far Away Ranch, a no-frills dude ranch in the wilds of Montana. With no spa, no Wi-Fi, and no escape, she’s ready to write the whole trip off—until she meets Jon, the wrangler’s son. Together, they uncover whispers of a long-buried secret tied to the ghost town of Piney Woods and the legendary treasure of outlaw Pearlhandle Pete. Full of humor, heart, and a dash of ghostly mystery, this story explores friendship, identity, and the unexpected adventures that can change everything.
Finalist for the 2025 Edgar Award from Mystery Writers of America
Longlist for the M&PIBA Reading the West Award
The Mystery of Mystic Mountain was published by Simon and Schuster in 2024.
Author Bio
Janet Fox is the award-winning author of twelve books for young readers, including three YA novels, 3 middle grade novels, two picture books, and one middle grade non-fiction, with more books coming. Her most recent books include the middle grade CARRY ME HOME (Simon & Schuster 2021) about a pair of unhoused sisters, and picture book WINTERGARDEN (Neal Porter Books 2023, illustrated by Jasu Hu) which received four starred reviews. The middle grade THE MYSTERY OF MYSTIC MOUNTAIN (Simon & Schuster 2024) is a kid-driven hunt for a long-lost outlaw treasure set on an aging dude ranch in Montana and is a finalist in the Juvenile category for the 2025 Edgar Award from Mystery Writers of America. Janet is a teacher and has an MFA in writing for children from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and lives with her husband and their friendly yellow Lab in the Montana mountains. She’s represented by Erin Murphy of Aevitas Creative. You can find more at janetsfox.com and follow her on writing craft on Substack.
Adult Selection
Synopsis
Growing up in Montana, Chris La Tray always identified as Indian. Despite the fact that his father fiercely denied any connection, he found Indigenous people alluring, often recalling his grandmother’s consistent mention of their Chippewa heritage.
When La Tray attended his grandfather’s funeral as a young man, he finally found himself surrounded by relatives who obviously were Indigenous. “Who were they?” he wondered, and “Why was I never allowed to know them?” Combining diligent research and compelling conversations with authors, activists, elders, and historians, La Tray embarks on a journey into his family’s past, discovering along the way a larger story of the complicated history of Indigenous communities—as well as the devastating effects of colonialism that continue to ripple through surviving generations. And as he comes to embrace his full identity, he eventually seeks enrollment with the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, joining their 158-year-long struggle for federal recognition.
Both personal and historical, Becoming Little Shell is a testament to the power of storytelling, to family and legacy, and to finding home. Infused with candor, heart, wisdom, and an abiding love for a place and a people, Chris La Tray’s remarkable journey is both revelatory and redemptive.
“I’m committed to uncovering the culture of my people. I’m committed to learning as much of the language as I can. I’ve always loved this land, and I’ve always loved Indian people. The more I dig into it, the more I interact with my Indian relatives, the more it blooms in my heart. The more it blooms in my spirit.” – Chris La Tray
Awards
Winner of the Reading the West Book Award
Winner of the Pacific Northwest Book Award
A People Best Memoir of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction of the Year Selection
A Book Riot Best Book of the Year
Author Bio
Chris La Tray is a Métis storyteller, an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and a descendent of the Pembina Band of the mighty Red River of the North. He writes the weekly newsletter “An Irritable Métis” and lives near Frenchtown, Montana. He is the Montana Poet Laureate for 2023–2025.
In addition to Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home, La Tray is the author of One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large (2018) and Descended from a Travel Worn Satchel: Haiku and Haibun (2021)
About the Selection Process
Each fall, Humanities Montana sends out a call for nominations to the general public, educators, librarians, schools, book clubs, and other partners. The call is based on criteria for the Great Reads program. Humanities Montana staff researches all nominations to make sure they fit the established criteria. Then the selection committee, made up of librarians and Humanities Montana staff, narrows the nomination pool to a short list of titles for review and discussion.
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