Floating Twigs

by Charles Tabb

Overview

A Kirkus Reviews recommended book! (Sept. 2020 Issue)

Where the Red Fern Grows meets To Kill a Mockingbird.

It's 1968 in the rural coastline town of Denton, Florida, and the only thing with a tougher life than twelve-year-old Jack Turner is a starving dog named Bones. When they meet while Jack is fishing, Jack knows that he and Bones are meant for each other, and he promises his oft-absent alcoholic parents that he'll somehow get a job to pay for his new dog's food and care.

In the process of finding work, Jack meets Hank Pittman, a middle-aged man who lives in a dilapidated school bus at the harbor, and Mrs. Mary Jane Dawson, an eccentric but kind older woman in need of gardening help. As Bones nurses back to health, Hank and Mrs. Dawson become the caring parents Jack never had.

But gossip and lies about Jack's growing relationships lead to an attack on Bones' life and questions about Hank's past. When Hank is put on trial for a crime he didn't commit, everything Jack holds dear is set in the balance of that small-town courtroom.

If you loved The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride, you will love Floating Twigs as well. It is a timeless coming-of-age story about a boy and his dog, the responsibilities that come with loving others, and how sometimes one small moment can change a life forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798330278145
Publisher:	Gifted Time Books, LLC
Publication date:	07/27/2024
Pages:	426
Sales rank:	659,484
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.95(d)

Editorial Reviews

"A poignant and compelling narrative of a boy's search for connection and meaning." - Kirkus Reviews

"Reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird." - Stephen K. Smith, author of The Virginia Mysteries Series

From the Publisher

2020-06-04
A boy encounters hostility and hope in Tabb’s debut coming-of-age novel.

It’s 1990 when Jack Turner returns, after a long absence, to his coastal hometown of Denton, Florida, to attend a funeral. He reflects on pivotal events in the summer of 1968, just before he turned 13. As the younger son of two alcoholics, Jack was mostly resigned to the fact that his parents neglected him. When Jack and two friends found a starving dog, he decided to adopt him on the spot, calling him Bones. He convinced his dad to let him keep the pet, but there was a high price, as his dad demanded the boy pay him rent to do so. Jack’s determined efforts to care for Bones brought him into conflict with local boys, who beat Jack up after he undercut the going rate for cleaning fish for tourist anglers. Jack was befriended by troubled World War II veteran Hank Pittman, who lived in a broken-down school bus and offered him work fixing up the bus. Hank also urged eccentric local widow Mary Jane Dawson to hire Jack to do some yardwork. Soon, however, malevolent gossips wrongfully accused Hank of abusing the boy, which led to a suspenseful trial. Tabb, a former middle and high school English teacher, grew up in the Florida Panhandle, and his depiction of that landscape lends authenticity to the small-town setting. The shadow of war hovers in the background, both in Hank’s past and in the present of Jack’s older brother, who’s away in military training. At times, the novel pits its heroes against one-dimensional villains, but Jack’s voice feels authentic throughout. Although the character’s devotion to Bones propels the action, Tabb never allows the narrative to become a sentimental boy-loves-dog story. The scenes between Jack and his father are particularly effective in revealing the desperate nature of the protagonist’s family situation. The expressive prose shines brightest, however, when it focuses on Jack’s determination to live up to the trust that Hank and Mary have placed in him.

A poignant and compelling narrative of a boy’s search for connection and meaning.

Kirkus Reviews