• Blog Post by: Laurie Hertzel
• January 18, 2013 - 7:38 AM

In the noise and applause and awards for Louise Erdrich's latest novel, "The Round House," her latest chapter book for children might have been overlooked. But not by everyone. "Chickadee," the fourth enstallment in the Birchbark House series, has just won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.

"Chickadee" is set in 1866 and follows the story of Chickadee, a small Anishinabe boy who is kidnapped and must find his way home. (Here's our review.)

The Scott O'Dell Award was created in 1982 by O'Dell and Zena Sutherland (O'Dell was the author of, among many other books, "Island of the Blue Dolphins") and is now administered by his widow, Elizabeth Hall. It carries a prize of $5,000.

Erdrich also won the award in 2006 for "The Game of Silence."

"Chickadee" was illustrated with soft-pencil sketches by Erdrich herself. I say, can the Caldecott Medal be far behind?