Publisher's Note

So Cold! book launch on November 2 at Red Balloon, featuring illustrator Chris Park (left) and author John Coy (right)

With the snow flying and the holidays approaching, ’tis the season for a good read. Whether for yourself or as a gift, thousands of options await you online in the MNHS Shop, in person at the Minnesota History Center and at MNHS sites, and in bookstores nationwide. Read on to see which of our recent releases are just right for your occasion. 

Find something for every interest in our gift guide!

Charming Children’s Reads

So Cold!

Story by John Coy, illustrations by Chris Park
hardcover, $17.95

Embrace the cold with this engaging children’s book about a father and son who perform science experiments using household objects outside on a frigid day. In this vibrantly illustrated story, the two experiment: What happens when boiling water is flung into the air? Or when maple syrup is poured on clean snow? Or when wet jeans are thrown into a snowbank? What happens to a helium balloon when it is taken outside in the freezing air? These and other discoveries await readers.

The Moons

Story by Chan Poling, illustrations by Lucy Michell
hardcover, $17.95

This tender tale about the power of song reminds us to treasure magical friendships that come along once in a blue moon. Written by musician Chan Poling (the Suburbs, the New Standards) and illustrated by songwriter and performer Lucy Michell (Little Fevers), this gorgeous picture book celebrates the nonconformist in everyone. Equally comfortable on a collector’s coffee table or a child’s well-loved bookshelf, The Moons will delight old and young readers alike.

Oskar's Voyage 

Story by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrations by Kayla Harren
hardcover, $17.95

Near a bustling harbor, a plucky chipmunk’s love of tomatoes earns him a heart-pounding ride onto an enormous Great Lakes freighter. After iron ore pellets thunder into the cargo holds, the boat sets sail across Lake Superior—with the chipmunk, Oskar, still aboard. Lost and eager to return to land, Oskar searches the enormous boat for a way out. Young readers will enjoy exploring alongside an endearing and frolicsome main character even while they learn about big ships and commercial lake transportation.

How the Birds Got Their Songs

Story by Travis Zimmerman, illustrations by Sam Zimmerman / Zhaawanoogiizhik, retold in Ojibwemowin by Marcus Ammesmaki / Aanikanootaagewin
hardcover, $17.95

The Great Spirit held a contest so that each bird could earn the song that was just right for its species. He called together all the birds, from the smallest sparrow to the largest hawk, and told them the plan. Each would fly as high in the sky as it could, and when it returned to Mother Earth it would receive its song. This treasured story, handed down through the Zimmerman family, features traditional knowledge from the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Black History

Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms

Jokeda “JoJo” Bell
paperback, $22.95

Black actress and activist Hilda Simms was a rising star on the stage and screen when false accusations of un-Americanism during the McCarthy era curtailed her career. This first-ever, book-length biography chronicles her roles in the American Negro Theatre’s Anna Lucasta and film and television work including The Joe Louis Story and A Man Is Ten Feet Tall. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Simms advocated for better roles for Black actors throughout her life. Author Jokeda “JoJo” Bell is the executive director and the director of exhibitions and programming for the African American Interpretive Center of Minnesota (AAICM).

It Took Courage: Eliza Winston's Quest for Freedom

Christopher P. Lehman
paperback, $22.95

On August 22, 1860, an enslaved woman from Mississippi named Eliza Winston petitioned for her freedom before a judge in Minnesota—and she won. For more than 150 years, historians’ accounts have focused on the implications for Minnesota politics rather than Winston’s own story. With It Took Courage, Lehman helps set the record straight and uncovers the story of Winston’s first forty-two years and her long struggle to obtain her freedom.

Native American History

They Would Not Be Moved: The Enduring Struggle of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe to Keep Their Reservation 

Bruce White
Foreword by Melanie Benjamin
paperback, $29.95

An 1855 treaty set aside thousands of acres to be the permanent home of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota. Scholar Bruce White details how an Indigenous community repeatedly stood up and held their land against overbearing pressures across decades in this important historical contribution to contemporary conversations such as the Land Back movement. “White writes clearly, giving readers enough information to understand legal arguments without getting bogged down in details.” —Mary Ann Grossman, St. Paul Pioneer Press

To Banish Forever: A Secret Society, the Ho-Chunk, and Ethnic Cleansing in Minnesota

Cathy Coats
paperback, $19.95

The Ho-Chunk people occupied a reservation south of Mankato, Minnesota, on some of the state’s richest agricultural lands. A group of white men living in Mankato formed a secret society, the Knights of the Forest, to claim these lands for their own profit, advocating for the removal of the Ho-Chunk. Exploiting the fears of white people living in the area at the end of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, even though the Ho-Chuck had not participated, the Knights waged a pressure campaign that ultimately expelled them from their land.

Page-Turners

Muus vs. Muus: The Scandal That Shook Norwegian America 

Bodil Stenseth, edited by Kari Lie Dorer, translated by Kari Lie Dorer and Torild Homstad
paperback, $29.95

In 1880s Minnesota a remarkable lawsuit between a husband and a wife in a devout Lutheran congregation posed questions about cultural practices in an immigrant community and the rights of its members as Americans—inspiring a wide-reaching debate about faith, gender, and family. Originally published in Norway, this translation is a copublication with the Norwegian American Historical Association. 

A Murder on the Hill: The Secret Life and Mysterious Death of Ruth Munson

Roger Barr
paperback, $24.95

On December 9, 1937, St. Paul firefighters discovered the badly burned body of thirty-one-year-old Ruth Munson, a “small-town” woman who had moved to the big city in search of a new life. In A Murder on the Hill, Roger Barr meticulously retraces the criminal investigation into her death. Despite years of searching, police never caught the murderer. Barr vividly captures the economic, race, and sex/gender relationships of the Depression era. An astonishing portrait of working-class St. Paul emerges.

Last Entry Point: Stories of Danger and Death in the Boundary Waters

Joe Friedrichs
paperback, $19.95

Hypothermia, lightning strikes, high winds, medical emergencies—all can befall unsuspecting visitors to canoe country. In Last Entry Point, experienced paddler and longtime journalist Joe Friedrichs gathers true stories, interviewing people who confronted danger and walked away, as well as those whose loved ones died in the midst of the wilderness. These narratives of tragedies and hazards encourage paddlers and hikers to be prepared for all contingencies.

Hockey Enthusiasts

Tourney Time: Stories from the Minnesota Boys’ State Hockey Tournament

Revised and Updated Edition
David La Vaque and L. R. Nelson, foreword by Aaron, Neal, and Paul Broten
paperback, $29.95

Every spring, the state of Minnesota is riveted by the spectacle of the boys’ high school hockey tournament. In this updated edition of Tourney Time, longtime sports journalists David La Vaque and L. R. Nelson take readers year by year through the tournament, highlighting the key games, the backstories, and the players that made each one shine. Interviews with players, coaches, and fans bring firsthand perspectives and insights to the games and tournaments, while in-depth statistics and results reveal the numbers behind the memories.

Bestselling Backlist

Land of 10,000 Plates by Patrice Johnson	True North Cabin Cookbook by Stephanie Hansen	The Good Berry Cookbook by Tashia Hart