I've recently completed my Middle Grade book for reluctant readers called J.C.’s Guitar. J.C. is a twelve year old Ohio boy who is suddenly confronted with the terrible realities of life when his father is arrested and J.C. is kept completely in the dark concerning the reasons why. He is a self described “rocker” who doesn’t care much for school and is absorbed with rock bands. Forced to move in with his old school grandma, he obsesses over his fathers’ innocence. His dreams of a ticket out through music are temporarily interrupted by the discovery of the truths that surround him. One of those truths is that he doesn’t even own a guitar. Even if he did, he doesn’t know how to play a single note. Becoming a guitar hero or getting through middle school isn’t as easy as he thought. There are other threats that J.C. navigates along the way, like Man-child, the 8th grade repeater and the confusion involved in obtaining his own guitar. By the end, J.C. changes in a fundamental way. J.C. recognizes that his father is likely guilty and that his mother too, is unlikely to change. The promise of his future rests in what he chooses to do with his potential. Accepting this new knowledge, J.C. begins to understand that trusting an enemy may bring him the answers he is searching for.  J.C.’s Guitar is all about the power of the individual to persevere and find the worth in trying something better

As a classroom teacher working in an urban school, I have seen first hand the devastating effects that abandonment and crime have caused to many of my students. I have had angry students with little academic interest ultimately overcome their disillusionment and realize the value of their own self expression, like J.C. does in the story. J.C. is a fully developed character whose actions are natural and believable. The central conflict, interesting characters and steady pacing will appeal to reluctant readers and make them want to turn the page.  Available at Amazon.com and independent bookstores  in the fall of 2011.