For a 16-year-old boy out in the world alone for the first time, every day's an education in the hard work and boredom of migrant labor; every day teaches him something more about friendship, or hunger, or profanity, or lust--always lust. He learns how a poker game, or hitching a ride, can turn deadly. He discovers the secret sadness and generosity to be found on a lonely farm in the middle of nowhere. Then he joins up with a carnival and becomes a grunt, running a ride and shilling for the geek show. He's living the hard carny life and beginning to see the world through carny eyes. He's tough. Cynical. By the end of the summer he's pretty sure he knows it all. Until he meets Ruby.---from the publisher
176 pages 978-0375873058 Ages 15 and up (sexual content)
Keywords: migrant worker, sex, new experiences, summer job, virginity, injustice, corruption, 15 year old, 16 year old, 17 year. teens, coming of age, carnival, survival, historical fiction, dysfunctional family, runaway
Editor's note: Set in North Dakota in 1955 -fictional
