‘Cady and the Birchbark Box’ Wins Michigan’s State History Award

By Ernest Dempsey

Modern History Press is proud to announce that its title Cady and the Birchbark Box by Ann Dallman has won the 2022 State History Award in the Children & Youth category.

Cady and the Birchbark Box is a novel for children, mainly in the age range 11 to 14 years, telling the story of young Cady Whirlwind Thunder who sets out to solve the mystery behind a weathered journal found inside an old birchbark box. With the voice of wisdom by her grandma and assistance of her ever-present companion, a noisy blue jay, Cady puts together the pieces and ultimately restores the reputation of a deceased elder.

Cady and the Birchbark Box is the second book in the Cady series of books. Like the first book Cady and the Bear Necklace, it was inspired by a birchbark basket given to the author by a friend. Cady, the protagonist in the series, is a compilation of the many students who passed through Dallman’s classroom during the 15 years she taught on the Hannahville Indian Reservation in Wilson, MI. Dallman says, “My students asked me to write a book for them and about them. The Cady books are the realization of that.”

For the Modern History Press, the Cady series serves two main goals of the press-focusing more locally on issues in its home state of Michigan, and telling the stories of minorities in contemporary society, including Native American women. The series also serves to present stories with lots of positive role models, which is a priority of the press.

The Historical Society of Michigan (HSM) posted among the full list of the books that won the 2022 State History Awards and announced that the winners will receive their awards during the Annual Meeting and Michigan History Conference on September 23-25, 2022, in Albion.

The HSM presents the State History Awards every year to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the appreciation, collection, preservation and/or promotion of state and local history.

U.P. Reader -- Volume #10 [HC]

SKU 979-8-89656-121-7
$39.95
2026
: Bringing Upper Michigan Literature to the World
1
Product Details
UPC: 979-8-89656-121-7
Brand: Modern History Press
Binding: Paperback
Audiobook: Audible, iTunes
Edition: 1st
Author: Ed. by Mikel Classen, Deborah K. Frontiera
Pages: 152
Publication Date: 05/01/2026

Michigan's Upper Peninsula is blessed with a treasure trove of storytellers, poets, and historians, all seeking to capture the essence of Yooper Life from the settlers' days to the far-flung future. Since 2017, the U.P. Reader has offered a rich collection of voices that captures U.P.'s natural beauty and way of life, along with a few surprises.

The seventy-plus short works in this 10th annual volume take readers around the U.P. from the Keweenaw to the Soo and from Menominee to Ironwood. Every page is rich with descriptions of the characters and culture that make the Upper Peninsula worth living in and writing about. U.P. writers span genres from humor to history and from mystery to poetry. This issue also includes imaginative fiction from the Dandelion Cottage Short Story Contest winners, honoring the amazing young writers enrolled in all of the U.P.'s schools.

Featuring the words of John Adamcik, Laura Antonelli, Genevieve Baker, Nancy Besonen, Linda Ponnikas Bimel, Bob Calverly, Mikel B. Classen, Thomas Ford Conlan, Sharon Dilworth, Adam Dompierre, Lawrence Ely, Deborah K. Frontiera, Elizabeth Fust, J.L. Hagen, Mack Hassler, Richard Hill, Leah Johnson, Kathleen Carlton Johnson, Robert Johnson, Tamara Lauder, Ellen Lord, Raymond Luczak, R.H. Miller, Leigh Mills, Carolyn Olson, Adele O'Neill, A.L. Padden, Gretchen Preston, Lisa Reitz, Eleni Roberts, Colin Spencer, t. kilgore splake, Bill Sproule, Ninie Gaspariani Syarikin, Brandy Thomas, Tyler R. Tichelaar, Edd Tury, Analise VerBerkmoes, and Natalie Verbrigghe.

"Funny, wise, or speculative, the essays, memoirs, and poems found in the pages of these profusely illustrated annuals are windows to the history, soul, and spirit of both the exceptional land and people found in Michigan's remarkable U.P. If you seek some great writing about the northernmost of the state's two peninsulas look around for copies of the U.P. Reader. --Tom Powers, Michigan in Books

"U.P. Reader offers a wonderful mix of storytelling, poetry, and Yooper culture. Here's to many future volumes!" --Sonny Longtine, author of Murder in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

"As readers embark upon this storied landscape, they learn that the people of Michigan's Upper Peninsula offer a unique voice, a tribute to a timeless place too long silent." --Sue Harrison, international bestselling author of Mother Earth Father Sky

The U.P. Reader is sponsored by the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA), a non-profit corporation. A portion of the proceeds from each copy sold will be donated to the UPPAA for its educational programming.

Learn more at www.UPReader.org

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U.P. Reader -- Volume #10 [HC]

 

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