Life Grows On

Cliff lives with his mom in Death Valley. It’s too hot and dry, until it isn’t. When a monster storm blows through and almost destroys their trailer, Cliff’s mother tells him to set out looking for help – and for the father that abandoned him almost 14 years ago.

Cliff doesn’t have much to go on; there are some old letters with a return address in Venice Beach, California – letters he didn’t know his mom had kept from him. He’s curious about his dad and wants to know why he left. He sets out with the letters and a copy of his favorite book, The Wizard of Oz.

Little does he know that this adventure will involve hopping a train and meeting some less-than-friendly travelers, a skinny stray dog, and a tree that wants to stay standing. Will he find his own yellow brick road?

Not just a survival tale, this is a coming-of-age adventure sure to take root in readers’ hearts.