Toughing It
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Winner of the Edgar Award: When Tuff’s brother is killed, he loses the best friend he ever had—but he may be about to find the father he never knew
Tuff was there when Dillon died. Riding behind his older brother on the back of his dirt bike, Tuff saw it all—except who shot him. Now Tuff has no one. When his mother, too drunk to know which way is up, hears the news that her son has died, her response is, “Well, one less to worry about.” Tuff has never been close to his half siblings either. Dillon was all he had, and now he’s is gone.
Tuff is no crybaby. He’s used to fending for himself. With a picture of Dillon in his pocket, he leaves home—but not before his mother reveals the identity of the boys’ father. What started out as a search for justice soon becomes much more. Dillon and Tuff had dreamed of finding their father their whole lives. With Dillon gone, can their dreams of family happiness be realized?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This strange book starts out as almost unbearably painful and ends as unbelievably blithe. Tuff is riding with his older brother, Dillon, on the back of his dirt bike, when Dillon is absurdly killed--shot by a rigged gun along a mountain path. Dillon's death is particularly devastating to Tuff; the boy has no father and lives with an apparently cruel, alcoholic mother, her brutish boyfriend and a legion of bellicose, underfed half-brothers and sisters. Springer quickly establishes the difficulties her characters face in trying just to get by without much money, power or mobility. Vowing to track down the murderer, Tuff leaves home, whereupon his mother suddenly discloses the identity of his father. The grim scenario is swiftly lightened, with the man named as Tuff's father proving to have the forbearance of Gandhi, the deductive powers of Sherlock Holmes and the marksmanship of a Clint Eastwood character. It doesn't much matter when he divulges that he's not Tuff's dad after all, because he's willing to play the part. The mother, meanwhile, turns out to have only Tuff's best interests at heart; the villains are caught; and Tuff finds both a love interest and peace of mind. Far from satisfying. Ages 12-up.
Customer Reviews
Greatly Recommended
This is a great book for people who love mystery type books. It gives astounding detail and you can almost feel the emotions yourself. I feel this book teaches great life lessons for youth today. This book relates to real life problems and helps the reader understand what people go through on a daily basis. Characters are developed fully with great sentiment. This is is a book that is highly advised, from me to you.