The Last Great Getaway of the Water Balloon Boys

In his touching and impressive debut novel, Carter tells the story of two teenagers coping with the fallout of broken families. Charlie, a good student and artist who is shy around girls, has just found out that his mother is getting remarried. His former best friend Jake, now in foster care, has become a tough kid who regularly gets suspended from school. When a school bully threatens Charlie, Jake literally rides to the rescue, driving up in a stolen Mustang and dragging Charlie on a road trip to Denver to find the latter's father and give him a drawing. On the way they meet a group of stoners, run from the police, and console a depressed woman at a motel. There are a few missteps—believable as a virgin 16-year-old boy might be, one who has never masturbated is pushing it—but for the most part, Carter's storytelling is on target. Some early foreshadowing tempers what might otherwise have been a jarring ending to this road trip story, and both Jake and Charlie come across as believable characters with interesting stories to tell. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)