About this item
New York Times bestselling author Michael Northrop captures the middle-school experience -- from the hurt to the hope -- in this powerful story of creativity in the face of cruelty.Life for 12-year-old Ked Eakins isn't easy. The school bully is after him, a lump on his back has made him a social outcast, and his last remaining friend recently abandoned him. And then his dad gambles away their rent money. Just when it seems like he should just give up, Ked determines it's time to take his life back. But what seems like a good idea quickly lands him in deeper trouble. Now Ked's really on thin ice.Ked has his creativity, however, and the school's Maker Space provides him with a place to build. He just might be able to save his family from going under -- and make a few real friends while he's at it.
About the Author
Michael Northrop is the New York Times bestselling author of 13 books for kids and teens, including the middle-grade adventure series TombQuest and the hit graphic novel Dear Justice League. His first young adult novel, Gentlemen, earned him a Publishers Weekly Flying Start citation, and his second, Trapped, was an Indie Next List selection. His first middle-grade novel, Plunked, was named one of the best children's books of the year by the New York Public Library and was selected for NPR's Backseat Book Club. He is originally from Salisbury, Connecticut, a small town in the foothills of the Berkshire mountains, where he mastered the arts of BB gun shooting, tree climbing, and field goal kicking with only moderate injuries. After graduating from NYU, he worked at Sports Illustrated Kids magazine for 12 years, the last five of those as baseball editor.
