Road Tripped

March 25, 2019
Stiggy, 17, has a lot of questions about why his girlfriend, Gaia, dumped him, and why his father committed suicide, and he’s not finding any answers in his Minnesota suburb. Wanting to think about “other things—or better yet, not think at all,” he impulsively embarks on a road trip in his father’s Mustang (which he isn’t supposed to drive), carrying little more than $407 in cash and a Visa card stolen from his mother. He has no idea where he’s going or how long he’ll be gone, but he’s ready to explore new territory as he heads through the Midwest. This story, enlivened by witty dialogue and offbeat characters, contains flashbacks set against Stiggy’s often hilarious, sometimes profound encounters with strangers. Hautman paints a true-to-life portrait of a bitter, cynical teen who undergoes a gradual transformation as he makes discoveries about Gaia, his father, and himself. Stiggy’s many mishaps (being left carless after falling for a lie, getting cornered into buying meth supplies) provide comic relief, while his epiphanies offer food for thought. Ages 12–up.

Starred review from March 1, 2019
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Steven Gabel, aka Stiggy, should be at school. Instead, he's hit the open road in his deceased father's Mustang, with no particular destination in mind beyond following the long and winding Mississippi River. The drive is supposed to stave off all thought?the girl who ghosted on him, the father who took his own life earlier that year on Groundhog Day, the lack of real friends?but all that time alone only achieves the opposite. That isn't to say that Stiggy doesn't stumble upon intriguing folks and adventures along the way?from friendly hitchhikers to grocery-store-robbing Renaissance-faire workers to meth addicts?only that his internal journey is just as engaging, if not more. In Hautman's skilled hands, Stiggy's grief is fully embodied, ebbing and flowing as the days and events pull him back to memories of his dad and the questions that linger. Stiggy himself lies somewhere between curmudgeon and misanthrope, and yet readers will be hard-pressed not to root for him as he comes to discover the ways he's made things harder for himself and the ways in which he is and is not like his father. True-to-life conversations, a keen sense of Midwestern topography, and sharply detailed supporting characters round out this superb road trip novel. By turns introspective and humorous.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)