First Boy

by Gary Schmidt

Cooper never knew his parents--his grandparents have raised him on the Jewett family farm since he was a baby. When Cooper's grandparents die within weeks of each other, he is left alone to tend to the cows, barns, fields, and house. This would be work enough, but then there's school, cross country, and the mysterious Black Sedans that start following him around his quiet New Hampshire town.

His schoolwork suffers, as does his running… The farm is overwhleming. Neighbors are worried.
And then strange things start happening. Very Big Men in suits lurk in shadows around the property, snapping photographs. Someone breaks into his house and rummages through his grandfather's desk. The North barn burns to the ground. The electricity and phone go dead, and Cooper finds himself, with his arm twisted behind his back, being threatened by intruders. And Senator Wickham, the sleezy Presidential candidate, holds a private meeting with Cooper to see if he'll join the campaign.
Cooper starts to figure out that there might be something unusual about the mother and father he never knew.

Meanwhile, all he wants is to keep the farm--he funnels all his sadness and loneliness into keeping the farm, insisting that he can manage it. The mystery unravels, as Cooper balances the farm, school, and his grief, with the help of some neighbors.
There are a few great escape scenes and heart-thumping chase scenes.

I'd recommend this book to 5th-6th graders. The writing is simple…but compelling. The last few chapters are a great payoff for a book that drags a bit at first, and feels a bit self-conscious in its use of New England. (I don't know--I felt a little embarrassed by the self-conscious new englandy farmy backdrop, because it seemed maybe too easy. but then I'm happy to have a book be about a contemporary kid and a farm… I guess the second part wins. especially for the good ending.) I was caught off-guard when I finished the penultimate chapter on the subway tonight and sort of started crying. (Don't worry--the throat-chokey part is chased by a final chapter of crazy excitement and reassuring resolution, so readers shouldn't be put-off by the crying-potential. ha.)

Oh, also…I don't want to wreck it for you--but you should definitely read it until page 126. There's a surprise there that's done very well.

ADDENDUM:
will some else please read this?? pleeaaassse? see comments.
(also--there's page 126....)