WPL Offers Debut Novel “Montgomery and the Case of the Golden Key” during Worldwide Digital Book Club

Get ready to embark on an enchanting journey through Washington Park, Chicago with Montgomery “Monty” Carver in Montgomery and the Case of the Golden Key, by debut author Tracy Occomy Crowder. Residents in the Whitewright area can experience this nostalgic adventure with Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club. From November 7-21, Tracy Occomy Crowder’s Montgomery and the Case of the Golden Key is available for free as an ebook and audiobook on the Libby app through Whitewright Public Library. Library card holders can join thousands of others around the globe in reading the digital book without waitlists or holds and access lesson plans and discussion guides from TeachingBooks.net for facilitating age-appropriate conversations about story writing, cultural representation, and historical fiction. A fabulous family read, Montgomery and the Case of the Golden Key promises to captivate readers of all ages with its delightful story of discovery, resilience, and the power of community.

This Big Library Read novel is available through more than 22,000 libraries around the world, including approximately 90 percent of public libraries in North America, and hundreds of thousands of readers are expected to participate. The program is facilitated by OverDrive, the leading digital reading platform for popular ebooks, audiobooks and magazines and creator of the Libby app

Allow us to set the stage for this heartwarming middle-grade novel: it’s 2008 in Washington Park, an African-American community on Chicago’s South Side, which is the center of the universe that summer. We are introduced to Monty, a ten-year old boy who likes to use the scientific method to prove just about everything. As Monty unravels the origins of a mysterious golden key he and his friends find in their backyard, he discovers the true essence of community, the power of curiosity, and uncovers the rich history and heritage of his Chicago neighborhood. From the legacy of famous Black jockeys to the excitement surrounding Barack Obama’s run for the presidency and the potential arrival of the Olympics in 2016, Monty's summer adventure becomes an exploration of his community's past, present, and future.

Big Library Read is an international reading program that connects readers around the world with an ebook through public libraries. Montgomery and the Case of the Golden Key is the 35^th selection of this program which began in 2013 and takes place three times per year.