Wave the Wheat, Jayhawkers!

Today is Kansas Day, marking the admission of Kansas as the 34th state in the Union, on January 29, 1861.

We're also celebrating the fact that Maggie Vaults Over the Moon has found its place on the bookshelves of Kansas history.

The teen sports novel has been added to the Wulfmeyer Special Collections section of the Wichita Public Library.The Wulfmeyer Special Collection contains books about Kansas pioneers and cowboys and others who shaped the bold history of the Sunflower State. The collection also includes the inspiring story of Maggie Steele, the gutsy farm girl from fictional Grain Valley, Kansas, who overcomes tragedy and soars to new heights through the daring sport of pole-vaulting.

"So many joys have come as a result of writing Maggie, but to have the book placed in the Kansas Collection is one of the most rewarding," said author Grant Overstake, a native Kansan.

The Kansas state motto is Ad Astra per Aspera, which means, "To the stars through difficulties." It's an apt description of the heroine's journey in Maggie Vaults Over the Moon."

Those who've read the story of Maggie Steele know she's a wheat farmer's daughter who soars to the stars through difficulties. In that sense, I think you could say that she's made of the same stuff, the same pioneer spirit, that makes up Kansas history," he added.

Maggie Vaults Over the Moon is available in paperback and Kindle and will be released on audiobook on March 31, narrated by the great Tavia Gilbert.

'Maggie' Celebrates Her Vault into Kansas History