As easy as falling off the face of the earth
By Lynne Rae Perkins

Summary
In this new novel by a Newbery Medalist ("Criss Cross"), 16-year-old Ry completely redefines summer vacation. Illustrated with the author's line art and comics throughout. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Publishers Weekly Review
When 16-year-old Ry discovers that his archeological summer camp has been canceled, he steps off the train to call his grandfather only to see the train pull away. So begins Ry's implausible and existential journey at the center of Newbery Award-winner Perkins's (Criss Cross) contemplative and energetic novel. To compound the situation, Ry's grandfather has suffered a concussion and is missing, and his parents' Caribbean sailing trip has been fraught with problems. Ry stumbles into Del, a handy, sympathetic man who decides to drive Ry home to Wisconsin, becoming a quirky mentor. Del remains unflappable as he extends their road trip to find Ry's parents, setting off a series of riotous misadventures. A humorous additional narrative, "Dogs," told in comic strip format, mimics Del's and Ry's story, and continues Perkins's experimentation with form. Her observations and turns of phrase ("The shoes were a metaphor for the decline of western civilization: crappy and glitzy and barely useful, but pretty comfortable.... Ry didn't think that thought specifically, but he felt as dispirited as if he had") are as unexpected and delightful as the travels she weaves together. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Sixteen-year-old Ry opens a letter en route to a summer program informing him that camp has been canceled because a statistically improbable number of things have gone wrong. He hops off the train in Montana to figure out what to do, and his own series of improbable misfortunes begins the train moves on without him (but with all his stuff), leaving him alone with a dying cell phone in the precise middle of nowhere. Oh, and one of his shoes just floated off down a river. He befriends a man named Del, who figures there's nothing he can't fix (when it comes to other people's problems, anyway). They set off on a cross-country road trip to get Ry back home and then, due to any number of minor and major catastrophes, to an island in the Caribbean. Ever-placid Del and milquetoast Ry make for affable traveling companions, but the real pleasure is Perkins' relentlessly entertaining writing. She dabbles just on the clever side of intruding on the narrative, and she infuses her prose with more personality than many could squeeze out of an entire cast. The knock against her Newbery-winning Criss Cross (2006) was a lack of plot, and although a lot of things happen here, it would be a stretch to call this leisurely novel plot-driven. The point is that it doesn't matter, and wallowing in the wry humor, small but potent truths, and cheerful implausibility is an absolute delight.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.