First published 2015
Lewis "Shoe" Blake knows what to expect from life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975. He plays Fireball with his friends, endures the jokes, and sleeps under a roof that lets snow drift through the holes. Then George Haddonfield arrives with his Air Force family, and Lewis faces something unfamiliar: a white person who wants to be his friend. The boys bond over their shared love of music, particularly the Beatles, but Lewis finds himself spinning lie after lie to conceal his family's dire poverty from George. Meanwhile, Evan Reininger targets Lewis with relentless cruelty, and the other students side with Evan. Lewis must figure out how to survive Evan's attacks while protecting his friendship with George. As the lies pile up and the truth threatens to surface, Lewis wonders if George will abandon him once he discovers the reality of Lewis's home life.
Genres: fiction, friendship, coming-of-age, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Tuscarora Indian Reservation
Period: 1975
360 pages · Paperback · Arthur A. Levine Books