Rocket Summer

"...a real page-turner ... riveting and profound" - Binghamton Children's Books Examiner This might be the dumbest thing they've ever done. Lacey Patterson just made an exciting - and dangerous - discovery. She's found an old crate filled with surplus military rockets. Now, she could do the right thing, like telling her dad... Or she could do the fun thing, and talk her friends Kenny and Charlie into building a rocket-powered car on the outskirts of town. It's not like anybody pays any attention to what they're up to. Her dad is still mourning her mom's passing after three years, so he's splitting his time between working and sitting alone in a dark house. And Kenny's old man pretty much ignores him and his sister Darlene, unless they forget to feed the chickens... even then all they get is a whack and a bruise. That's why stealing parts from his shop seems like the best and worst part of the plan. Charlie's dad might be their biggest problem... not only is he all attentive and curious and whatnot, he's the Sheriff. So keeping him in the dark is job one. Of course, they've got no skills for building cars, and none of them even has a license. But with enough duct tape and baling wire, and a healthy dose of not-knowing-any-better, they're bent on making this a summer to remember... if they can just stay alive long enough to enjoy it. If you're looking for a YA coming-of-age story that's funny, thrilling, and heart-breaking, this is the one.