Following the death of his parents in a car accident, fifteen-year-old Matt McKendrick runs away from his hometown with his small deaf sister Katie to prevent her being placed in an institution. Reaching Los Angeles exhausted and hungry, they take refuge in an abandoned theater. When Matt returns to the theater after an unsuccessful day hunting for work, he finds Katie gone and the police waiting to accuse him of murder. Alone in a city of strangers, Matt sets out on a desperate quest—fighting suspicion, hatred, and his own unbearable remorse and self-doubt—to prove to himself and to the Homicide detective who despises him that he is who he says he is.
"Taunted by one cop, trusted by another, Matt learns to live again in this vital, disturbing novel about love, trusting, and growing."
"I couldn't believe the memories it brought back. It hurt, but it was beautiful at the same time. I felt all the pain and frustration of being labeled and trying to fight it, while all the time you're afraid they may be right."
"My 16-year-old daughter read it straight through on Saturday night and on Sunday she read it through again, and cried just as hard the second time."
"I carried it around with me for three days so I could read it in my spare time." 18-year-old army cadet in training.
"Powerfully constructed and moving" School Library Journal
"Gripping first novel...a real page turner" Contra Costa Times
"Evinces a towering talent" Publishers Weekly
"Best book I ever read." 16 year-old reluctant reader
Winner of the California Young Reader Medal in the high school category and an ALA Best Book of the Year.
Visit the author on the web at francesamiller.com.
