Vermont Principal Ken Cadow Is a National Book Award Finalist 

Ken Cadow of Norwich, a Vermont principal and first-time novelist, is a finalist for the prestigious National Book Award for young people's literature, the National Book Foundation announced on Tuesday.

Cadow's young adult novel, Gather, is a first-person account of Ian, a teenager in rural Vermont who struggles to hold on to his family's home as his mother tries to overcome opioid addiction. Gather is the name of the adopted dog that accompanies Ian as he navigates obstacles.


Gather was released on October 3, the same day the five finalists for young people's literature were announced. It was selected from a pool of 348 submissions. The National Book Foundation also named finalists for fiction, nonfiction, poetry and translated literature.


Before becoming principal at Oxbow, Cadow was director of applied learning at Randolph Union Middle and High School, helping students design educational experiences that took into account their personal goals and learning styles.

In the acknowledgments of his book, Cadow gives a shout-out to "the students who show up to school straight from morning chores, some still in their barn boots."

He also thanks "the teachers and paraeducators who understand that rural kids may need something different, especially if we want them to stick around, or to wander for a while and then come home."

In 2021, Vermont author Kekla Magoon was a National Book Award finalist for young people's literature for her nonfiction book Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People.

Winners of this year's awards will be announced at a ceremony in New York City on November 15, with special guest Oprah Winfrey. The ceremony can be watched live at nationalbook.org/awards.