Kenneth Cadow, co-principal of Oxbow High School in Bradford, VT, was a finalist for the National Book Award for young people's literature. Cadow's young adult novel, Gather, tells the story of a rural Vermont teenager trying to hold on to his family's home as his mother battles opioid addiction. Gather is the name of his helper, an adopted dog. Winners were announced Nov. 15 at a ceremony in New York (nationalbook.org/awards). While Cadow did not win the award, he told Seven Days that he was enjoying the ride! The award went to Dan Santat for his book, A First Time for Everything, a middle-grade graphic memoir about a trip to Europe.

Read the feature about Kenneth Cadow in Seven Days.