Saturday Boy

David Fleming

- 4.5 • 27 Ratings

- $9.99

- $9.99

If there's one thing I've learned from comic books, it's that everybody has a weakness—something that can totally ruin their day without fail.

For the wolfman it's a silver bullet. For Superman it's Kryptonite. For me it was a letter.

With one letter, my dad was sent back to Afghanistan to fly Apache helicopters for the U.S. army.

Now all I have are his letters. Ninety-one of them to be exact. I keep them in his old plastic lunchbox—the one with the cool black car on it that says Knight Rider underneath. Apart from my comic books, Dad's letters are the only things I read more than once. I know which ones to read when I'm down and need a pick-me-up. I know which ones will make me feel like I can conquer the world. I also know exactly where to go when I forget Mom's birthday. No matter what, each letter always says exactly what I need to hear. But what I want to hear the most is that my dad is coming home.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUL 8, 2013

Eleven-year-old Derek has been having a rough time, both at school and at home, since his helicopter pilot father returned to Afghanistan with the Army "eight months, one week, and four days" ago. Derek's mother is struggling with worried exhaustion, and his former best friend Budgie is antagonizing Derek at every opportunity. Derek relies on the comforts of his father's letters, his wild imagination, his favorite superhero show, and his rehearsals for the school play (along with his crush Violet), but when his deepest fears are realized, Derek is forced to navigate a tumult of complex emotions and reevaluate what he values most dearly. Fleming's debut skillfully depicts how the stresses of loss and other forces beyond one's control test the bonds of family and friends; Derek's relationship with his mother is especially honest and tender. The weight of the tragic, topical events is tempered by moments of laugh-out-loud humor and Derek's energy and resilience as he muddles through the uncertainty of grief. Ages 10 up.

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