The Swan

This tiny and poignant book chronicles a 10-year-old boy's struggles to come to grips with family calam-ity and his retreat into fantasy. Protagonist Aaron Cooper's, who lives in Indiana near the White River, imagines himself catching spies, wrestling snakes, and driving dog teams. Bit by bit, Cohee reveals details that alter the seemingly cheery Indiana landscape. There is an early reference to Aaron's 7-year-old sister Pookie, who died in a car crash. Around the time of Pookie's death, Aaron becomes curious about the red light on the local radio tower and acquires mysterious powers. His heartbreak over losing his sister is exacerbated by the enormous rift in his parents' marriage. Aaron retreats into fantasy, stops talking, and writes anonymous and ominous notes (signed by Mr. X) to the police department about his neighbors. Alternately funny, entertaining, and heartbreaking, The Swan is a fictional memoir about love, death and what a family can%E2%80%94and cannot%E2%80%94endure. (Aug.)