This Last Adventure

by Ryan Dalton

Overview

When Archie's beloved grandpa is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Archie desperately wants to slow the progression of his grandpa's memory loss.

Using Grandpa's old journal entries as inspiration, he creates shared role-playing fantasies with epic quests for them to tackle together—allowing Grandpa to live in the present and stay in touch with his fading memories. But as Grandpa's condition gradually worsens, Archie must come to terms with what's happening to his hero. The limits of the fantasies, revelations about Grandpa's past, and a school project about the future force Archie to grapple with what it truly means to live a life worth remembering.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728451220
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/01/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	308
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Ryan Dalton spends his time thinking up stories when he’s not wearing a cape and fighting crime. He’s a singer, a voiceover artist, a pretty decent amateur chef, and a lover of all things geek. Ryan lives in an invisible spaceship that’s currently hovering over St. Louis, Missouri. He is also the author of the Time Shift Trilogy.

Editorial Reviews

"[A]n excellent book for students who are close to their grandparents and wonder about Alzheimer's."—Children's Literature

From the Publisher

2021-11-16
Archie is devastated by his beloved grandfather’s Alzheimer’s and makes up fantasy adventures for the two of them to share.

Eighth grader Archie and his mother live with his Grandpa; Archie’s father left before he was born, and Grandma Ella has passed away. Grandpa is a Vietnam veteran, a retired firefighter who had many adventures but hid secrets about distressing aspects of his life. He wrote diligently in his private journal about good times and bad. Grandpa finally passes the journal on to Archie—with a promise that he only look at the entries he marked. As Grandpa’s Alzheimer’s worsens, Archie is determined to do everything he can to keep him functioning, and he spins fantastical tales that include dragons and pirates. But even Archie realizes that these episodes won’t solve the real problem. Archie’s love also takes the form of a school project relaying Grandpa’s life story; he even finds a woman whom Grandpa rescued from a fire. Interactions with his peers provide an important catalyst for Archie’s growing maturity. The combination of fantasy and realism is not always successful, and the imagined stories feel like interruptions. However, the grandfather-grandson relationship is heartfelt, and the middle school friendships are convincing. Whiteness is assumed as the default for Archie and his family; his friend group is described as racially diverse.

A touching story about intergenerational love that doesn’t quite come together. (author's note) (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews