Welcome to Nowhere, Arizona, the least livable town in the United States. For Gus, a bright 13-year-old with dreams of getting out and going to college, life there is made even worse by Bo Taylor, Nowhere’s biggest, baddest bully. When Bo tries to force Gus to eat a dangerously spiny cactus, Rossi Scott, one of the best racers in Nowhere, comes to his rescue—but in return she has to give Bo her prized dirt bike. Determined to buy it back, Gus agrees to go searching for gold in Dead Frenchman Mine, joined by an old friend, one of Bo’s cronies, and Rossi herself. As they race to find the treasure before the most important biking competition Nowhere has ever had, they bond over shared stories of how hard life in Nowhere is—and they realize this adventure just may be their way out. Author Dusti Bowling (Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus) returns to the desert to create a gripping story about friendship, hope, and finding the power we all have within ourselves.

Out  September 4, 2018

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second story I’ve read set in a desert, the first involved an ostrich–a story for another day…

This is a remarkable book that needs to be slotted way up there beside “Sandlot,” “The Goonies,” and “Stand By Me.” Kids on an adventure to find treasure and along the way they discover who they really are.

Witty dialogue, ingenious plotting and a wonderful author’s voice to carry the story along at an enjoyable pace.  How can you go wrong?

The author did a fantastic job developing her Protagonist and used remarkable and successive secondary characters to propel the Protagonist toward his goals. I recommend this book to all middle-graders and even adults. You won’t be disappointed.

I gave this book: