Tall tale. Thriller. Gripping historical fiction. This artful sparely toldgraphic novel a tale of a boy in Dust Bowl America will resonate withyoung readers t... » 

Tall tale. Thriller. Gripping historical fiction. This artful sparely toldgraphic novel a tale of a boy in Dust Bowl America will resonate withyoung readers today. In Kansas in the year 1937 elevenyearold Jack Clarkfaces his share of ordinary challenges local bullies his fathers failedexpectations a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to dealwith the effects of the Dust Bowl including rising tensions in his small townand the spread of a shadowy illness. Certainly a case of dust dementia wouldexplain who or what Jack has glimpsed in the Talbots abandoned barn asinister figure with a face like rain. In a land where it never rains itshard to trust what you see with your own eyes and harder still to take heartand be a hero when the time comes. With phenomenal pacing sensitivity and asure command of suspense Matt Phelan ushers us into a world where desperationis transformed by unexpected courage. «