Author Event at Griffin Bay Books

The Pig War
by Mark Holtzen

Local teacher and author Mark Holtzen will be available to sign and discuss his children’s book, The Pig War, in the Griffin Bay Bookstore on Saturday, May 25, 2013, from 2:00-4:00 pm. He hopes to share the story and book with kids, visitors, and also with local elementary teachers and librarians.

The Pig War is the story of a boy named Kell who goes to spend the summer on the remote Mobray Island with his curmudgeonly grandfather. Although he thinks his time is going to be a boring bust, he and his sister are quickly drawn into events from the island’s past—The Pig War of 1859.

Holtzen spent seven years writing The Pig War, a middle-grade novel for kids ages 9-13, using themes from the locally set Pig War conflict, a boundary dispute between the US and Great Britain. Holtzen spent time at the local Whiteley Center at Friday Harbor Labs working on the novel. A third grade teacher, he is currently in his fourteenth year of teaching at Seattle Country Day School.

Holtzen says The Pig War not only engages children, but all ages given the local setting and historical twists presented in the summer adventure. Many Northwest bookstores and libraries now carry the book, and Holtzen has materials and projects created by NW educators.

The Pig War was selected for the Kirkus Best of Indie Books list for 2012.

About the Author
Mark Holtzen grew up in the Pacific Northwest. At thirteen he took a bike trip to the San Juan Islands and has loved visiting ever since. He lives and teaches in Seattle.

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