THE HERO

It's the summer of 1957, and 14-year-old Jamie West is busy with farm chores at home, along the banks of Idaho's Payette River. Eager to finish the raft he's been building, he enlists the help of his older cousin Jerry. The boys try to keep their project a secret from Dennis Leeper, hangdog son of Arlie, the Wests' menacing, impoverished neighbor, but when the raft is finally launched, there are three of them aboard. The swift-flowing (and off-limits) central current of the river proves irresistible to daredevil Jerry, and events take a tragic turn. The story's strong vein of nostalgia and coming-of-age theme bring to mind Stephen King's Stand by Me, and although the leisurely pace at times borders on sluggish, Woods's descriptions can be eloquent: "For a long time, the thunder echoed out of the canyon above the sawmill, up where the river ran wild, a perfect partner with the storm." The first-time author also shows a sharp eye for character, from his thumbnail sketches to the broader narrative arc that traces Jamie's growth. Even if the momentum suffers as Jamie reckons with the consequences of the rafting disaster, his convincing development from feckless adolescence to responsible manhood testifies to this author's promise. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)