Long Gone Daddy - Softcover

Hemphill, Helen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1620917378 ISBN 13: 9781620917374

Publisher: Astra Young Readers, 2014

Synopsis

The first time fourteen-year-old Harlan Q met his grandfather, he was laid up on a porcelain prep table at the local funeral home with a grin on his face—like he was getting the last laugh. His will leaves a chunk of money and a Cadillac convertible. The catch? His body must be buried in Las Vegas. With little money, Harlan Q convinces his Bible-thumping father to load the corpse in the back of their station wagon and take the road-trip to honor his grandfather's wishes. Along the way they pick up Warrior, a Hollywood-bound, Zen-minded actor-in-training. He surprisingly helps Harlan begin to understand his thoughts and life—separate from the thinking of his father—during a covert stop at his late grandfather's bar, Long Gone Daddy's.

About this title

About the Author

Helen Hemphill grew up in Texas and now lives in Austin and Nashville, Tennessee. She is the author of the novels Runaround and The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones, which were published to critical acclaim.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9–Harlan Q, 14, lives and works with the local funeral director and his wife because his evangelical preacher father, Harlan P, has evicted him for religious doubts. There he meets his grandfather, Harlan O, for the first time. The fact that the man is dead doesn't stop him from wanting to know more about his relative. The teen convinces his father to drive the body to Las Vegas to collect an inheritance, and thus the two have the opportunity to develop a relationship and learn something about the man who has been lost to them for 20 years. The premise is interesting, but not much happens as the two travel, have car troubles, take on an aspiring actor who is more interesting than either Harlan, and find themselves in a city that fascinates the younger Harlan as much as it horrifies the elder. The characters are not fully developed except for the former and some barely seem to have a face or voice, like his mother. As Harlan Q learns about his grandfather through the people who knew and loved him, he discovers a compassionate and intelligent man, but Harlan P never does accept him. Harlan Q knows a bit more about his father at story's end, but it's not clear what lessons are learned by either of them as they begin their ride home together.–Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL
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About this edition

• Publisher: Astra Young Readers
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1620917378
• ISBN 13: 9781620917374
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176