Description
u200bu200bu200bFinalist for the 2021 Eric Hoffer Book Awardxa0xa0"This engaging novel is written with a masterful hand. Having promised an absent friend to shield that friend's young brother from the torments of the middle school bully, Matt Parker must quickly develop and draw on the courage and resourcefulness that will not only shield young Billy but draw Matt himself swiftly from boyhood toward manhood in 1950s Clearwater, Fla. In this closely observed narrative, Fred Hosley creates in Matt an affable Florida pre-teen who soon has us rooting hard on his side. Hosley evokes the era with aptly chosen period detail and vivid characters. Readers will not only enjoy hanging out with Matt and his friends but may even recall that at his age we pretty much did hang out with them. A fine book that awakens both our sympathy and our memory." --Andy Solomon, New York Times book critic "In Fred Hosley's poignant and memorable coming-of-age tale, the strains of early rock 'n' roll in the sunny beach town of Clearwater, Florida, provide the perfect backdrop for a group of young adolescents growing up in the '50s... Sorry You Missed It... represents fine storytelling. With its blend of small-town Americana charm, spot-on characterization, and life lessons that move beyond the page, its classic stylings should find broad appeal." --Starred Review from Blue Ink Review "Like (Mark) Twain, Hosley manages to incorporate humor and social commentary into the time period and the individuals involved in the storytelling... His writing has a universal theme that illustrates that as much as things change they remain the same." --Tampa Bay Magazine Review
Features & Highlights
- Eric Hoffer Award Finalist
- Starred Review from
- Blue Ink Review
- "In Fred Hosley's poignant and memorable coming-of-age tale, the strains of early rock 'n' roll in the sunny beach town of Clearwater, Florida, provide the perfect backdrop for a group of young adolescents growing up in the '50s... Sorry You Missed It... represents fine storytelling. With its blend of small-town Americana charm, spot-on characterization, and life lessons that move beyond the page, its classic stylings should find broad appeal."Twelve-year-old Matt Parker is ready to enjoy the growing freedoms of a teenager as he and his buddies enter seventh grade at Clearwater Junior High School, and then trouble appears... He receives a phone call that turns the opening weeks of school into an exploit he never anticipated. The boys set out to protect their friend Billy, from Wayne Tyson, a surly ninth grader who is threatening him. Along the way, they search for buried treasure on Hog Island, try to catch a black snake they name Lucille, and go to their first dance party with girls at the home of their friend, Dee.
- Sorry You Missed It
- … is a coming-of-age story full of fun, laughter, sadness and tears...a dangerous adventure spiced with early rock 'n roll and the innocence of a blossoming teenage romance, set in the remarkable era of America in the mid-fifties. Experience being there!Reviews"This engaging novel is written with a masterful hand. Having promised an absent friend to shield that friend's young brother from the torments of the middle school bully, Matt Parker must quickly develop and draw on the courage and resourcefulness that will not only shield young Billy but draw Matt himself swiftly from boyhood toward manhood in 1950s Clearwater, Fla. In this closely observed narrative, Fred Hosley creates in Matt an affable Florida pre-teen who soon has us rooting hard on his side. Hosley evokes the era with aptly chosen period detail and vivid characters. Readers will not only enjoy hanging out with Matt and his friends but may even recall that at his age we pretty much did hang out with them. A fine book that awakens both our sympathy and our memory." -
- Andy Solomon,
- New York Times
- book critic
- "Author Mark Twain wrote about a group of youngsters growing up in a small town along the Mississippi River when he developed the literary classic,
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
- . Fred Hosley has followed in Twain's manner with a story about seventh graders in Clearwater in 1957. The way Clearwater was then is as much a part of the plot as the characters.... His attention to detail gives this book an authentication that transplants the reader into the time period with a sense of reality. We often stopped reading this book to reflect on our own personal memories that were triggered by his writing.Like Twain, Hosley manages to incorporate humor and social commentary into the time period and the individuals involved in the storytelling... His writing has a universal theme that illustrates that as much as things change they remain the same. The angst of being a pre-teen will never go away, even though the world continues to change daily."
- --Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman,
- Tampa Bay Magazine
