NORWOOD PARK — Taft High School teacher Jessie Ann Foley will discuss her award-winning novel at the Roden branch of the Chicago Public Library from 6-7 p.m. March 31.
Foley, of Jefferson Park, will discuss what inspired her book and the experience of writing "The Carnival at Bray," which the American Library Association named one of the best books of the year written for young adults.
"The Carnival at Bray," set partially in a two-flat on the Northwest Side, was published after it won the 2014 Helen Sheehan Young Adult Book prize, and was picked to launch Elephant Rock Books' new young adult imprint.
The novel, which is set in 1993, tells the story of 16-year-old Maggie, who finds herself marooned in Ireland after her mother marries a man she has only known for a short time.
Maggie struggles to adjust, falls in love, gets her heart broken and experiences the transformative power of music through Nirvana, which was then at the height of its popularity during the grunge era.
Foley returned to teaching eighth grade as part of Taft's Academic Center program in January after taking maternity leave after the birth of her daughter, Roisin.
The novel began as a short story published in the Reader in 2010 that got the attention of an agent and drew encouragement from a professor who urged Foley to transform it into a novel.
Registration is required for Foley's Author Talk at the Roden branch library, 6083 N. Northwest Hwy. Copies of the book, which attendees are encouraged to read before the session, are available at the library.
For more information, call 312-744-1478.
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