Allegations against his father turn eleven-year-old Rodney's life
upside down in a powerful and surprisingly funny novel about new
beginnings, friendships and a fresh look at the way things really are,
by critically acclaimed author Susan Juby.
Eleven-year-old Rodney is starting sixth grade in a new school, in a new
home in a new state. The new school is really old and smells like
someone ate a couple of pounds of glue and then barfed it back up, and
he's in a class with a bunch of kids who seem to sort of hate him. Even
his best friend won't write him back. It's strange, because just a
couple of months ago, Rodney was one of the most popular guys in his
fifth-grade class. He lived in Las Vegas, with his mom, older sister and
his dad, who was a successful professional poker player. Now his old
life is over -- his mom even says they shouldn't tell anyone their real
last name. Because of something his dad did. Or something people said
that he did. His dad says it's all a big misunderstanding, but he's now
staying in a center "for people who are having problems, like being
addicted to drugs or gambling, or because other people don't understand
that you are just funny and friendly and sometimes you give people hugs
or put your arm around them and they accuse you of taking liberties and
ruin everything." Rodney is confident that it won't be long until the
misunderstanding is all cleared up and they can all go back to their old
life. But he can only keep the truth at bay for so long . . .
