Publisher's Synopsis
Stories of Adventures for Junior Teens
Donald Kirk will thrill and captivate kids and adults alike with his brilliant retelling of his own adventures in the late 1950s when life was simpler and kids could safely run free in the neighborhood. He wrote this book hoping today's kids could see that there are other things they can do besides video games and "the boob tube", if only they would choose to do so.
The book is a collection of humorous short stories that can stand alone, but are tied together by the same fascinating characters. Most involve the creative "projects" of the neighborhood kids that kept them busy and engaged, and often taught them a moral lesson about life.
The baby-boomer generation may well enjoy reading this book even more than today's kids as life in the fifties comes alive again. It may also open up a dialog between generations as the kids read about what their parents used to do.
Table of Contents:
1. Prologue
2. The Ferris Wheel
3. The Train to Downer's Grove
4. Pat's Crazy Café
5. The Mysterious Talking Board
6. The Soapbox Derby
7. The Candy Machine
8. Dr. Frankenstein, I Presume
9. The Swamp Thing
10. Snipe Hunt at Hadley's Glen1
11. A Scary Story
12. Larry and Little Lulu
13. Friday the 13th
14. The Puppet Theatre
15. The Three Stooges
16. Destination Basement
17. Epilogue
Don's writing career began in the fourth grade with cartoon strips starring Long Nose of Long Nose Town and a story about his traumatic experiences in a hospital when his tonsils were removed. At that time, he also enjoyed making things like a Three Bears outdoor village and a fully functioning pinball machine while he was just nine years old. Over the years his building projects got bigger--much bigger--and his interest in telling others about them continued. After writing horror and sci-fi, he returned to chronicling his youth, including his wild summer adventures in Hinsdale, Illinois.
