The Rise and Fall of the Gallivanters

Eighteen-year-old Noah and his friends are punk musicians growing up near Portland, Ore., in the early 1980s. Noah worries that he will grow up to be like his abusive father, his best friend Evan's debilitating headaches are getting worse%E2%80%94and girls all over town are disappearing, possibly at the hands of the German brothers who operate a big local brewery. When Ziggy, a David Bowie-esque stranger, mysteriously appears in Noah's life, he persuades the teen to enter his band in a contest at the brewery and try to "save the city from the evil brewing at PfefferBrau Haus." Beaufrand (Dark River) is a talented writer, but the book's tone is scattered: some of the people in Noah's life, like hippie burnout/record store owner JoJo, are more caricature than character, and the various tragedies the characters are negotiating disrupt the rhythm of the book. These punk protagonists are easy to root for, but too many simultaneous notes leave the book striking a discordant chord. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. Agent: Steven Chudney, Chudney Agency. (May)