The One Where the Kid Nearly Jumps to His Death and Lands inCalifornia
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4.6 • 5 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
"Mom didn’t think it was funny when I took off my leg at school, put it in my locker, and then tied a rag around my stump with fake blood on it. After that, though, the kids at school pretty much knew if anyone was going to be cracking jokes about my leg, it was gonna be me."
So says thirteen-year-old Alastair Hudson in this darkly humorous coming-of-age story about the relationship between Alastair—who calls himself Stump to draw shocked attention to his missing leg—and his father, who left the family after the accident that resulted in the amputation five years earlier. When Alastair is sent to spend the summer with his dad and his dad’s new wife, father and son are forced to confront the truth of what happened years ago, finally allowing Alastair to move forward with his life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lively, first-person narrative brings to life Hershey's (My Big Sister Is So Bossy She Says You Can't Read This Book) newest protagonist, Alastair Hudson, a one-legged 13-year-old with dashing good looks, a wicked sense of humor and an enormous chip on his shoulder against his recently remarried father. As the story opens, Alastair is reluctantly preparing to go from the home he shares with his mother in Denver, Colo., to California to spend the summer with his father, whom he blames for the accident that left him handicapped ("No matter what anyone said... it was always and would ever be his fault," Alastair muses). Alastair is determined not to enjoy himself at Lumina Beach but is thrown off guard when he discovers that his father's new wife, Skyla, is not only "loaded" with money but she is also a double amputee. If Alastair's heart is opened a little by Skyla's generous hospitality and enthusiasm for life, it remains closed to his father, whom Alastair quickly surmises is as self-centered and shallow as always. Two subplots, one involving Skyla's celebrity niece and another focusing on a gruff, retired coach, who teaches Alastair how to swim competitively, add extra dimension to this story about family conflicts that can become long-term grudges. Depicting tragic circumstances and comic situations with equal expertise, the author offers a poignant novel populated with complex, memorable characters. Ages 10-up.
