kristin o'donnell tubb
author of books for middle grade readers
about
AUTUMN WINIFRED OLIVER prides herself on doing things her way. But she meets her match when she, her mama, and her pin-curled older sis, Katie, move in with her cantankerous Gramps. The Oliver gals were supposed to join Pop in Knoxville for some big-city living, but Gramps’s recent sick spell convinced Mama to stay put in Cades Cove, a place of swishy meadows and shady hollers that lies on the crest of the Great Smoky Mountains.
And it’s not like there’s nothing going on in the Cove. Folks are all aflutter about turning their land into a national park, and Autumn’s not sure what to think. Loggers like Pop need jobs, but if things keep going at the current rate, the forests will soon be chopped to bits. And Gramps seems to think there’s some serious tourist money to be made. Looks like something different is definitely in order....
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awards
AUTUMN WINIFRED OLIVER DOES THINGS DIFFERENT was selected by the Tennessee State Library to represent the State of Tennessee at the 2009 National Book Festival! AUTUMN was also nominated for the Tennessee State Book Award, 2011-2012 list! Thank you, librarians and booksellers!
reviews
“...a wonderful debut novel, full of history, excitement and sensitivity... readers are treated to many fine glimpses of the Cove's vanishing mountain traditions." BookPage, November 2008.
“...Tubb’s inventive heroine comes across as a female version of familiar characters, such as Gary Paulsen's Harris or Robert Newton Peck's Soup. This homespun tale, full of folksy humor and based on historical fact, will appeal to young fans of Deborah Wiles' and Ruth White's books." Booklist, November 15, 2008
“Written by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different is a real sparkler of a novel. A plucky and perceptive narrator, 11-year-old Autumn reveals with colloquial wit and charm how her community of Cades Cove, Tenn., was acquired by to the government to form part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park....With humor, dignity and a truly matchless narrator, Tubb invites readers to share in events that define community and family.” The Asheville Citizen-Times, March 23, 2009.
“Despite the sad story of the diaspora of the Cades Cove community, Kristin O’Donnell Tubb’s Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different is a joyous and humorous story of a resilient and spunky girl who finds a way to put her mark on everything she does. Tubb works a lot of historical information about the displaced mountain communities of the Smokies into her narrative...” BooksForKidsBlog, April 13, 2009.
“Peppered...with Appalachian superstitions and homey, colorful phrases.” Kirkus Reviews