Synopsis
But the weather-beaten sailboat Chance Taylor and his father call home is thirty years old and hasn’t sailed in years. One step from both homelessness and hunger, Chance worries about things other kids his age never give a thought: Where will the money come for the electricity bill, grocery bill, and moorage fees? So when a new job falls his way, he jumps at the opportunity. He knows how much he will earn; what he doesn’t know is how much he will pay.
Paula Rohrlick - KLIATT
Chance lives on a sailboat in Seattle's harbor, but it isn't exactly a "floating mansion." It's as beaten-up and beaten-down as his alcoholic father, who can't seem to hold a job. Chance's mother left long ago, and he worries each month about whether his father will manage to pay the bills. So when a man from the marina approaches Chance and offers him money to pick up and deliver mysterious packages on his daily run, Chance doesn't ask many questions, though he's pretty sure drugs are involved. At school, he's a "ghost-walker," just waiting to graduate and enlist in the army to get away, but a new friend named Melissa gets through to him. Her curiosity about his runs, however, nearly gets her in danger, and when Chance discovers that it's not just drugs he's helping to smuggle matters come to a head, with tragic consequences. Deuker, the author of Night Hoops and other YA novels, crafts a suspenseful and involving story that tackles timely issues of terrorism, patriotism, poverty, and privilege. Chance's dilemmas will quickly draw in readers and keep them turning the pages. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2005, Houghton Mifflin, 224p., Ages 12 to 18.