As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth

Note from the Publisher: This title may not be suitable for devices with smaller screens.

Train. Stranded in the Montana scrub when his westbound Amtrak rolls away without him, Ry has no luggage, eighty-three dollars, and a dead cell phone. Stepping off to find reception seemed safe enough. Was it?

Car. An eccentric tree-trimmer offers a cross-country rescue in a patched Willys wagon, but every detour brings another crisis, from missing grandparents to runaway sedans. A straight drive across five states sounds simple. Doesn't it?

Plane. Boat. Feet. Between a flight in a homemade aircraft, a voyage toward the Caribbean, and miles on dusty roads, the journey home keeps expanding. He'll get there. Won't he?

• Road Trip Adventure: From dodging runaway sedans on two wheels to soldering a broken generator over a roadside campfire, navigating the empty highways between Montana and Wisconsin proves anything but predictable.
• Found Family: A philosophical tree trimmer who cannot abide pickles, an eccentric Florida landscaper whose pig-manure digester explodes, and a charismatic sailor in San Juan rally around Ry when everything goes sideways.
• Race Against Time: Back in Wisconsin, Ry’s grandfather Lloyd tumbles into an eight-foot limestone sinkhole while walking the family dogs, sparking an urgent quest to track down his parents before they sail away from a remote Caribbean port.
• Coming of Age: Clad in a mismatched thrift-shop sneaker and clutching a small animal skull found beside the tracks, fifteen-year-old Ry learns to keep his cool whether navigating swaying tree limbs or paddling through choppy ocean swells.