Out of the Blue

October 1, 2009
Gr 5-9-Stuart Ballentyne, 15, keeps everyone around him at a distance. His mother is in the Air Force, which keeps him moving around a lot. He doesn't have time to make friends or lasting connections with people outside of his family. Things are changing in the Ballentyne household, however. Stuart's older brother has gone off to college, and his father is in Nevada taking care of his ailing grandmother and taking a break from Stuart's mom. Since she is busy with her new duties, Stuart finds himself more alone than ever. Billy, an eight-year-old neighbor, does his best to befriend the newcomer. Although Stuart doesn't like the boy tagging along, he can't help but let Billy become part of his new life. As he gets to know the child and his mysterious older stepbrother, Stuart feels that something bad is going on across the street, but he doesn't act on his suspicions. When he finally realizes he should speak up, tragedy strikes. The story offers both a realistic interpretation of teenage life on an Air Force base and the teen's feeling of powerlessness upon witnessing child abuseboth physical and verbalin action."Ryan Donovan, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2009
Grades 8-11 Fifteen-year-old Stu has lived on several different military bases, but adjusting to Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, where his mom is the new commander, feels particularly difficult, partly because his dad has left the family and his brother is starting college. Things improve after Stu makes friends, but when his mom is unexpectedly deployed, he becomes increasingly entangled with his troubled neighbors, whose eight-year-old son bears the brunt of the familys problems. Eventually, Stu faces ethical dilemmas and a dramatic situation that results in near-tragic consequences, but he emerges with a renewed sense of responsibility and compassion. Stu is a fully dimensional, sympathetically drawn character whose first-person, diary-style narrative describes the specifics of military-base life, from standard operations to its cultures varied impact on families (military terms are defined both in context and in an appended glossary). With thought-provoking sensitivity, Rottman explores the universal challenges that come with facing hard choices and navigating relationships in all areas of life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)