Moon of the Crusted Snow Voted as the 2019 Forest of Reading® Evergreen Award™ Winner

Press Release

TORONTO, ON (October 24, 2019) – After months of reading the best in Canadian fiction and non-fiction for adults, readers from over 100 Ontario libraries have chosen Waubgeshig Rice’s Moon of the Crusted Snow (ECW Press) as this year’s Evergreen Award winner.

Moon of the Crusted Snow is a tense and powerful tale of one small northern Anishinaabe community as it struggles to cope with the collapse of law and order after a mysterious cataclysm cuts off all connection—and resources—from the south.

“It is uplifting to know that Moon of the Crusted Snow was chosen as this year’s Evergreen winner,” says Christine MacArthur, chair, Evergreen Award Committee. “I am thrilled to welcome Waubgeshig Rice to the circle of Evergreen Award winners.”

Ontario readers participated in the Evergreen Award program through book clubs, their public libraries, and other community forums. The program is designed for adults and comprised of the best titles in Canadian fiction and non-fiction. It is one of ten programs that form the Forest of Reading, Canada’s largest recreational reading program of its kind.

A committee of library professionals chooses the titles nominated for the Evergreen Award, which are announced every January. Votes are tallied for the award in the month of September and the award is announced during the kickoff event to Ontario Public Library Week.

About Moon of the Crusted Snow: With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow. The community leadership loses its grip on power as the visitors manipulate the tired and hungry to take control of the reserve. Tensions rise and, as the months pass, so does the death toll due to sickness and despair. Frustrated by the building chaos, a group of young friends and their families turn to the land and Anishinaabe tradition in hopes of helping their community thrive again. Guided through the chaos by an unlikely leader named Evan Whitesky, they endeavour to restore order while grappling with a grave decision. Blending action and allegory, Moon of the Crusted Snow upends our expectations. Out of catastrophe comes resilience. And as one society collapses, another is reborn.

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About the Ontario Library Association: The Ontario Library Association (OLA) is a centre of excellence for the library and information sector, with 5,000 members who work in public, school, academic and special libraries. OLA enables members to advocate for the right of individuals to have free and equitable access to information. Our members research, develop and participate in educational programs designed to provide exemplary library services. Signature OLA events and programs include the annual Super Conference and the Forest of Reading® program. Follow us on Twitter @ONLibraryAssoc and like us on Facebook at Ontario Library Association.

Media and program contacts:

Meredith Tutching
Director, Forest of Reading
Ontario Library Association
416.363.3388 x222
mtutching@accessola.com

Lauren Hummel
Marketing and Communications Specialist
Ontario Library Association
416.363.3388 x227
lhummel@accessola.com

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