The Last Great Getaway of the Water Balloon Boys - Tapa dura

"There is surprising nuance in the shades of gray behind the good-kid/bad-kid duality that has pigeonholed Charlie and Jake...readers [will] appreciate the laugh-out-loud moments and the insights into the teen-guy sensibility, its camaraderie, and its codes of honor."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"In his touching and impressive debut novel, Carter tells the story of two teenagers coping with the fallout of broken families...Jake and Charlie come across as believable characters with interesting stories to tell."--Publishers Weekly

"Well-developed characters and twists and turns along the way reveal the complexity of friendship, the redemptive power of second chances, the importance of looking past preconceived notions, and the lasting effects of choices (major and "insignificant" alike) and the responsibility one takes for them. This is a good choice for reluctant readers."--School Library Journal

When Charlie is getting beaten up by bullies, his ex-best-friend Jake pulls up in a bright red '67 Mustang--the principal's car--and tells him to get in. It's a choice between a broken nose and the risk of a lifetime, and for the first time in his life, Charlie decides to take a chance. Now, Charlie and Jake are on a mission to find Charlie's absent father, and to avoid getting arrested for car theft. On the way, Charlie will learn a lot more about life than he ever expected to, discover the bond of friendship he never thought he'd have, and end up in the middle of a court case, a thousand miles from home. And in that courtroom, Charlie, a self-described straight-A student and grade-A geek, will have to make the ultimate choice of his life.