1BookBG is back with a familiar author.

This year’s book, “The House That Wasn’t There,” is by Elana K. Arnold.

Arnold also wrote last year’s selection, “A Boy Called Bat.”

In “The House That Wasn’t There,” Adler and his new neighbor, Oak, are pretty certain they are not going to be friends. Sure, they live next door to each other, are both named after trees, and are in the same sixth grade class, but Adler isn’t sure he can forgive Oak after her family cuts down the big walnut tree that sat between their houses.

But the two of them soon discover a series of connections between them — mysterious, possibly even magical puzzles they can’t put together. At least not without each other’s help.

The book is written with alternate points of view.

“There’s something for everyone in this book,” said Maria Simon, director of the Children’s Place at the Wood County District Public Library. “It’s just a swell book, it’s really sweet.”

Books were distributed to all elementary students grades 1-5 in Bowling Green on March 18 – just in time for spring break.

Simon said she heard from her counterpart at Bowling Green State University that the university was bringing Arnold in to speak to future teachers.

When she found this out, she asked the 1BookBG committee to consider this book.

“This would just be a great opportunity to expand from last year’s 1BookBG author,” Simon said.

The committee read it, was excited about it.

“We definately wanted to gear this year’s book to a higher reading level,” said 1BookBG Chairwoman Bailey Bredenbeckcorp.

The book follow the animal theme of past books, with a possum and cat, while adding fantasy and real life situations, said Bredenbeckcorp, who is the art teacher at Bowling Green Middle School.

The BGSU College of Education & Human Development purchased a copy of the book for each family in participating schools, about 1,100 books, Simon said.

Arnold has written picture books, chapter books and books for young adults.

“This is why the university is very interested in bringing her in, they want to share her with their education students,” Simon said.

Simon said Ben’s downtown has ordered the book, and it along with other books written by Arnold, are available at the library.

Arnold will speak at BGSU’s Olscamp Hall on April 6 at 7:30 p.m. Registration is available on the library’s website.

There are mission stops around the city that students can get passport stickers, including Call of the Canyon Café, the BGSU Ice Arena, Beckett’s Burger Bar, Ben’s, Coyote Beads & Jewelry, Waddington Jewelers, For Keeps, the Busy Thimble, the Sundae Station, the Sweet Shop, Tropical Smoothie Café, Dairy Queen, Biggby Coffee, the Art Supply Depot, Qdoba, the community center and the library.

“I think it’s less about the students in school and more about the students at home,” Bredenbeckcorp said.

She said the committee is encouraging families to participate at home as well as at the mission stops.

“There is lots of interest in encouraging literacy in our community,” Simon said.

Elementary grades “is a really critical time to get kids excited about reading,” she said.

The library this year has made “The House That Wasn’t There” on digital audio book that will allow kids who are interested in listening while reading to have a multi-sensory experience.

This is the seventh year for 1BookBG, meaning students who were in first grade in 2015 have had the experience all through elementary and are now in junior high.

“I hope that they remember reading these books together,” Simon said.

“To see this cooperation and how important literacy is to our community … this is something that people really value in our community,” she said.