Author: Roy Kindelberger
Genre: Children's middle-grade
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
(August 21, 2013)
Synopsis:
Twelve-year-old Rey is sent to an old
rundown steel town near Pittsburgh, where he has to deal with his
aging grandparents, isolated dad, missing mom, bullies, broken
bridges, and horseradish sauce.
While Rey sits on an airplane bound for Pittsburgh, he clutches a crumpled note. It’s been forty-one days since his mom left—no words since. Rey’s dad is sending him to Pittsburgh for the summer to stay with his grandparents, so his dad can pull his life together. Rey feels so alone.
Somehow Rey has to find himself. He’s timid, unsure, yet has to make choices. These choices lead Rey to become more confident, as he makes the transition into his teenage years.
Rey arrives in the middle of a heat wave. He quickly runs into trouble with some bullies and is in several difficult situations. Rey hangs out with his friend, Jason and discovers a mentor in his grandfather—bonds which are all put to the test when his grandfather becomes extremely sick and Rey has a final confrontation with the bullies. And then there are his parents.
Will things ever return to normal?
While Rey sits on an airplane bound for Pittsburgh, he clutches a crumpled note. It’s been forty-one days since his mom left—no words since. Rey’s dad is sending him to Pittsburgh for the summer to stay with his grandparents, so his dad can pull his life together. Rey feels so alone.
Somehow Rey has to find himself. He’s timid, unsure, yet has to make choices. These choices lead Rey to become more confident, as he makes the transition into his teenage years.
Rey arrives in the middle of a heat wave. He quickly runs into trouble with some bullies and is in several difficult situations. Rey hangs out with his friend, Jason and discovers a mentor in his grandfather—bonds which are all put to the test when his grandfather becomes extremely sick and Rey has a final confrontation with the bullies. And then there are his parents.
Will things ever return to normal?
Author Bio:
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Roy Kindelberger was born near Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. He loves sharing stories with his children and
students. They are always looking out for a story, book, poem, or
song that makes a difference in their lives.
My review:
★★★★☆
I found this book to be a a pleasant read, although it has a constantly sad undertone. It really pulls you into Rey's life and makes you care about him. He is so sad and confused over his mom's leaving him and his father. He feels abandoned by both of his parents. His dad sends him off and then rarely bothers to contact him. When he does call, it's for quick, inattentive conversations that end abruptly and leaves Rey feeling even more sad and confused.
Luckily his grandparents are there for him. They obviously love him and are happy to have him for the summer. His grandmother cooks big meals for him and his grandfather takes him fishing.. He pals around with his buddy and gets into all sorts of ordinary kid troubles. There are bullies, and a bad influence, war stories and baseball, everything a kid could need for the summer.
I would have given this 5 stars, but for the fact that it left me hanging. There were still too many loose ends at the end of the book. I felt like there should have been some moment that wove in the ends. Unfortunately, there was not.
I would recommend this book for any age. There isn't any strong language or explicit violence. It's a good book with well thought out characters that have complex emotions. I would enjoy reading more from this author.
I received the ebook of this story for free in order to review it. I was not required to submit a positive review. My opinions are my own and in no way influenced by receiving the ebook for free.
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