Böcker av Pete Fanning

Twelve-year-old Marcus Hawthorne has never taken a stance on much of anything. But when a Mega More Super Store plans to open up shop in the small town of Newburg, Virginia, he has no choice but to make a choice.Marcus's parents have never seen eye to eye on politics, but their debates turn heated when the company his father works for lands the gig to build the Mega More-the same store his mother will stop at nothing to halt. No stranger to his parents' differences, Marcus remains neutral, until an impromptu field trip to the tranquil build site opens his eyes to what's at stake: the tiny old clapboard church, the buried fieldstones beneath a sprawling, century old chestnut tree, and especially the majestic blue heron perched atop his father's ripper.Marcus joins his mother's cause. Along with a feisty new neighbor, they form a rag-tag team of resistance. Posting flyers, pulling pranks, even taking on the mayor, soon Marcus is enjoying his new life as an activist-all behind his father's back. His old friends think he's lost his mind. The town wants their store. And with the ground-breaking ceremony looming, the sacred land seems destined to be bulldozed. But as Marcus learns that summer, when it comes to politics, nothing is predictable.

For thirteen-year-old Jack Lansford, moving from upstate New York to Virginia is a prison sentence. At least that's what it feels like when his dad takes a job down south and asks him to "give it a year." Moving in, Jack's misery turns to confusion when he stumbles across a box of letters to his mother that forever changes the way he sees his light-hearted dad. As close as Jack is with his father, they never talk about Mom, or the car accident that took her life when he was only three. So Jack can't help himself from sneaking back to the journals-pages of heartfelt confessions about the mother he never knew. School begins and Jack tries to find his place-playing drums in the basement band with his dad and the neighbors while making a few friends along the way. Jack confides in Miranda, the girl next door with the voice of a young Aretha Franklin. But when he shows her a poem his father wrote about his Mom, she decides it's the song they should perform at the local band jam. With that, The Wallywalkers are primed for the big time, but first Jack has to summon the courage to have the talk of all talks with his dad.¿

It's 1987 and twelve-year-old Sam Beasley only wants two things: to play football and for his mother to stop dating losers. Only there's no money for a football team in Bricktown, while there's an endless supply of losers for his mother to bring home.Sam finds a friend in the elderly widow down the street. While he's careful not to let on about his crummy home life, Mrs. Coleman always seems to know when he needs to do wash or eat a hot meal. When he mentions his football dilemma, she surprises him by offering to fund the team. It's a dream come true, until she names the team The Gospel, declares herself head coach, and arms herself with a whistle, Bible scriptures, and a mouthful of grammar lessons. But Sam has bigger worries, like his mom's latest loser, Troy, easily the worse one yet. As Sam's home life spirals out of control, the boys of Bricktown become more than a football team, and football becomes more than just about winning.

Twelve-year old Caleb Wallace has spent his summer at Autumn Springs, coaxing his papa out of his room when he''s grumpy, attempting to gain the affections of a certain nurse, and pulling himself together when his grandpa looks right into him with nothing but a dull stare.Seems the only thing that puts a light in Papa Clem''s eyes is a family heirloom-an old folktale involving Robert Johnson''s harmonica down in Arkansas. Caleb is happy to listen; two things Papa Clem can still do well are tell a story and play the blues. But when Caleb finds his grandfather all spruced up with his guitar slung over his shoulder, set to take a trip down to the bus station, Caleb isn''t sure if it''s real or just the Dementia talking.Caleb decides to tag along, and what begins as a joyride around town becomes a three-state drive into time. Caleb and Clem endure bus trouble, layovers, and even play for tips under the Nashville skyline. Caleb, who''s never left his hometown, knows he should pull the plug on this journey but can''t force himself to make the call. Weary and penniless, the traveling bluesmen step off the bus and into muggy hot Mosby, Arkansas, ready to go looking for Robert Johnson''s harmonica. And what they find changes not only Caleb''s summer, but his entire life.