Oscar is a little different to other 12 year old boys. He has dozens of grandparents, loves Frank Sinatra, and lives in the Sunny Days Retirement Home.
Living there has never been a problem, with his loving Pops and many Sunny Days residents close at hand for advice and support, along with all the yummy baking.
Oscar is indispensable at the home, running clubs, organising get togethers and delivering eulogies at funerals. (He’s got really good at that).
When the owner of the home dies, and his son takes over the home, he brings his daughter Natalie with him. Natalie is Oscar’s exact opposite. She wears ripped jeans to her grandfather’s funeral (no respect), uses the resident facilities illegally (terrible), and is on the constant lookout for more rules to break (dreadful!) Things get even worse when Oscar learns the rent is going to skyrocket and Pops just doesn’t have the money.
Another resident has a problem he needs Oscar’s help with, and they make a deal. Natalie gate crashing it all is far from ideal, but maybe she’s just the right person for a wild ride across their city with a gangster wanting to relive the ‘good times.’
Good is NOT the word Oscar would have used, but Great is the friendships that result.
From the author of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise duology, and The Midnight Children, Busted is another true gem in the middle-grade genre.
What do you get when you put a swearing gangster, a goody two shoes, a bald cat, and a girl keen to experience everything, in a classic car together?
A crazy, crime ridden day and night of new tastes, thugs in an alley, ticking off a to-do list – playing poker, stealing cars and singing karaoke like your life depends on it. Oh, and a few punches in the face.
The result is a hilarious, heart stopping, and exciting read, with strong tugs on the heart strings to boot.
Author – Dan Gemeinhart
Age – 10+
(2025, MacMillan Publishers, Action, Adventure, Road Trip, Humour, Funny, Retirement Home, Elderly, Grandfather, Gangster, Escape, Break out, Getaway, Bucket List, Dreams, Memories, Family, Relationships, Bald Cat, Thugs, Living Life, Breaking Rules, Crime, Friendship)