Reading Metrics
Description
In the late 1960s, seventeen-year-old Charley searches for an old mountain woman's grandson in a small Southern town, embarking on a series of adventures that lead him to uncover a sinister secret related to his mother's mysterious past. The novel chronicles Charley's coming of age as he explores his community's dark past. The story features the off-beat Southern flavor and black humor characteristic of Gearino's fiction.
Quick Summary
When seventeen-year-old Charley sets out to find a missing mountain woman's grandson, he stumbles onto a decades-old secret hiding in his own mom's past. Readers will race through the twists and turns as Charley's simple rescue mission transforms into a pulse-pounding mystery that gets personal in the most dangerous way. If your kid loves the small-town secrets and revealed histories in books like *The River* by Paul Griffin or *Snow Flower and the Secret Fan* by Lisa See, they'll be hooked on this one. Perfect for teens in grades 9-12 who enjoy mysteries with a personal stake and historical depth.