STETSON

In the small mill town where Stetson lives, most of the other males his age are already working, married, and raising a family. Between avoiding an alcoholic, jealous, single father and earning his keep, Stetson lives day to day trying to make it through his last year of high school; working at Jason’s (a Vietnam vet) salvage yard; turning a wrecked vehicle into his dream car; and enduring the pressures to succumb to the mill town way of life. His responsibilities grow tenfold when a sexual harassment stunt at school almost causes expulsion, Jason becomes seriously ill, and Kayla, the 14-year-old sister he never knew about, arrives after their mother has died. Kayla and Stetson form an instant bond in which they protect each other from their father, share family stories, and wonder about their parents’ treatment of them. When events hit rock-bottom, Stetson, who has always taken care of himself, finally receives help through Kayla and Jason, though it comes from their own misfortunes. In this novel of broken dreams turned to new possibilities, Rottman (Head Above Water, 1999, etc.) delivers a believable story with characters that ring true. Stetson’s self-reliance and his relationships with Kayla and Jason are particularly touching and serve as driving forces throughout the work. Although Stetson’s life is full of obstacles, his road ahead leads out of town and toward a new life, giving readers hope for eking out their own futures. (Fiction. YA)