Don't Let the Wind Catch You
It's sunny and it's summer. The wind is quiet. The fall is yet to come. But leaves are slowly beginning to turn and pine trees are dropping needles underfoot. Wind and winter are coming.
Don't Let the Wind Catch You is the title of Aaron Paul Lazar's recently released novel, the latest in
his beloved Gus LeGarde series of great mystery adventures. Earlier books are anchored by a pleasing family man--father, grandfather, friend--retired and enjoying the scenery and sometime peace of the Genesee Valley. But Grandfather Gus was once a twelve year old boy, on the cusp of adulthood, and Don't Let the Wind Catch You promises great coming of age mysteries and adventures from an earlier time, plus cross-generational enjoyment.
Gus’s best friend’s twin sister “didn’t scare easily now she
was eleven,” says the author, and Gus doesn’t scare too easily either in this
effortlessly evocative and haunting middle-grade/teen/adult novel. Quick sure writing with a clear young-teen point of view
sets the scene of time and place. Three friends ride horses in the Genesee
Valley, in a 1950s world where Mexican food was a new experience, neighbors
were friends, and doors weren’t always locked. Mothers cook. Fathers go out to
work. And the long summer stretches ahead of the children with all its promise
and fun. But when Gus meets a strange old hermit in the forest, the past
becomes more important than the future. Why does his sweet kind mother dislike
the man so much? Who is the man’s mysteriously silent friend? And what really
happened in that long-ago battle commemorated in stone?
Blending wonderful real-world detail with ghostly mystery
and vivid characters, the writing pulls in readers of any age and offers wisdom
beautifully cloaked in storytelling drama. Children’s fantasy, history’s error,
and adult’s unthinking judgments all combine to make this a story filled with
generous spirit and powerful authenticity.
There’s a thoroughly pleasing, thought-provoking honesty in these
characters, and a truly enticing mystery to be solved, all convincingly wound
around the thoughts of a young boy experiencing his first kiss, enjoying the
music on his first transistor radio, and, for the most part, obeying his
parents just as a young boy should.
Disclosure: I love the author’s books and jumped at the
chance to read and review a free ecopy of this one during the blog tour.
• Bridges the gap between YA and adult ala Harry Potter
• “Suspenseful, satisfying, well-crafted, mood-capturing, for both adults and children.”
• Will appeal to readers who crave adventure, who love horses, the sea, or the outdoors, and who may be curious/nostalgic about children’s lives in 1965.
• Will appeal to teachers and parents who want to impart anti-bullying, anti-bigotry behavior; including compassion and acceptance in a thoughtful, sensitive manner.
• Will appeal to mystery buffs who loved the award-winning Tremolo: cry of the loon featuring Gus LeGarde in a prequel to the series in 1964.
• Showcases goodness, morality, understanding, acceptance, courage, persistence, and love.
• Readers can forget today’s furious Internet-driven scene and maybe evoke a few of their own comforting childhood memories and adventures
BLURB:
When
young Gus LeGarde befriends a cranky old hermit in the woods who speaks to an
Indian spirit, he wonders if the man is nuts. But when the ghostly Penni
rattles tin cups, draws on dusty mirrors, and flips book pages, pestering him
to find evidence to avenge her past, things change.
What Gus
doesn’t understand is why his mother hates Tully, until his relentless
investigation uncovers a hint of scandal
about Tully and Gus’s grandfather, Marlowe Wright.
On
horseback, Gus and his friends ride through woods overlooking Conesus Lake to
Tully’s abandoned house, reportedly still infected with the Genesee Valley
Fever from the 1700s. Unafraid, they enter and find shocking evidence that
could rewrite history.
Can
Gus convince his mother to forgive Tully? And will the proof he found free
Penni’s spirit?
BUY NOW LINKS:
·
Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dont-let-the-wind-catch-you-aaron-paul-lazar/1116333937?ean=2940148693291
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