As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth

Ry was supposed to spend his summer at archaeology camp, while his parents "revitalize their marriage" with a Caribbean sailing trip and his grandpa watches the dogs at their new house. But then he opens a last letter from the camp and discovers it has been cancelled. The problem is, he's already on the train. With no cell phone reception. When the train stops in the middle of nowhere to fix a mechanical problem, Ry gets off to try to call home. And then the train leaves without him.

Dogged by misforturne (losing a shoe, getting black eye, not being able to reach anyone by phone) and buoyed by serendipity (the kindness of strangers), Ry undertakes a summer quest he never expected. Always funny, reflective, and incredibly real, Lynne Rae Perkins has created a winning hero and a tale of how luck-both good and bad-helps us find ourselves, and gets us from here to there.

Ages: 10+