A buzz-worthy author will be the featured guest at the Books, Besties & Brunch fundraiser in Fox Chapel.
Angeline Boulley, the award-winning author of “The Firekeeper’s Daughter,” is the guest speaker at the event benefiting Cooper-Siegel Community Library.
Boulley, a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, spins tales about her Ojibwe community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“The Firekeeper’s Daughter” is a young adult thriller about a Native American teen combating corruption. The plot follows a biracial, unenrolled tribal member embroiled in scandal but holding on to love.
It was selected for the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature, the Printz Award, the William C. Morris award for YA debut literature and was an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book.
The compelling tale is soon to be adapted by Netflix for TV with Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground.
“We’re very excited to host this author because of all the buzz around her first novel and the excitement for her second novel,” said Jill McConnell, the library’s executive director.
“Everyone I’ve talked to who has read ‘The Firekeeper’s Daughter’ has loved it,” she said.
“Although these books are marketed as young adult novels, they definitely appeal to older readers as well.”
The second annual fundraiser is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 21 at the Pittsburgh Field Club. Tickets cost $125 through April 30 and $150 afterward. Price includes a catered brunch buffet and signature cocktail.
The first 50 ticket holders will receive a complimentary copy of Boulley’s second novel, “Warrior Girl Unearthed,” set for release May 2.
Tickets are available at coopersiegelcommunitylibrary.org.
Boulley, a former director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education, lives in Southwest Michigan.
As part of her itinerary in Pittsburgh, Boulley will meet with Fox Chapel Area High School students May 22 to discuss her writing process.
Cooper-Siegel Community Library’s service area includes all of the residents in the school district.
