THE HERO
Ronald B. Woods, . . Knopf, $15.95 (224pp) ISBN 978-0-375-80612-4
It's the summer of 1957, and 14-year-old Jamie West is busy with farm chores at home, along the banks of Idaho's Payette River. Eager to finish the raft he's been building, he enlists the help of his older cousin Jerry. The boys try to keep their project a secret from Dennis Leeper, hangdog son of Arlie, the Wests' menacing, impoverished neighbor, but when the raft is finally launched, there are three of them aboard. The swift-flowing (and off-limits) central current of the river proves irresistible to daredevil Jerry, and events take a tragic turn. The story's strong vein of nostalgia and coming-of-age theme bring to mind Stephen King's
Reviewed on: 01/28/2002
Genre: Children's
Open Ebook - 118 pages - 978-0-307-55670-7