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It's Up to Charlie Hardin
A rough-and-ready, adventurous boy faces perils and adventures as he comes of age in WWII-era Austin, Texas. Cover by award-winning artist Dan Dos Santos.
An adventure-filled coming of age story set in World War II era Austin, Texas.
It is the summer of 1942, and young teen Charlie Hardin has been set loose on the streets of Austin, Texas with only one command from his stay out of trouble. Charlie means to do just that. He never wants to disobey, but sometimes in a boy's life situations come up that he cannot ignore and still be true-blue to his own restless soul. And when that time comes . . .
It's up to Charlie Hardin.
It's up to Charlie Hardin when a secret path over a wall topped with glass shards needs cutting through an ancient oak, even if that means venturing out on the brittle ends of tree limbs where any fall could break an arm, a leg—or a neck.
It's up to Charlie Hardin when a dog-shooting neighbor must be taught to keep his hands off Charlie's loyal best friend, even if that means inventing the world's most effective long-range pumpkin slingshot.
And it's up to Charlie Hardin to explore a boy-sized storm culvert that leads into darkness simply because that's what a red-blooded boy has to do, even if it leads to the heart of a perilous criminal plot built on Nazi schemes and greed.
Charlie understands that, no matter the cost, when danger arrives at his doorstep, to be brave, resolute, clever—and sometimes just a tiny bit nuts—is the only thing that counts, when all is said and done. For the one surefire ingredient every glorious summer adventure always requires is a willing and resolute adventurer. And in Austin, Texas, in the summer of 1942, that adventurer comes in the form of one unstoppable young teenager named Charlie Hardin!
About It's Up to Charlie Hardin :
"Theres a bucolic feel to these youthful misadventures, an innocence and naivety . . . Ing infuses Charlie's tale with humor and dry wit. . . . [A] fascinating glimpse of youthful life as it once was."— Publishers Weekly
"Ing borrows heavily from his own Austin childhood to create a delightful tale accurately capturing life before society attempted to domesticate boys. . . . [A] captivating book all ages will enjoy."— The Daily News of Galveston County
About Dean
"An always entertaining author."— Publishers Weekly
"Above all, he is a master storyteller."— SF & Fantasy Review
"Nobody makes high-tech adventures come to life better than Dean Ing."—David Brin
An adventure-filled coming of age story set in World War II era Austin, Texas.
It is the summer of 1942, and young teen Charlie Hardin has been set loose on the streets of Austin, Texas with only one command from his stay out of trouble. Charlie means to do just that. He never wants to disobey, but sometimes in a boy's life situations come up that he cannot ignore and still be true-blue to his own restless soul. And when that time comes . . .
It's up to Charlie Hardin.
It's up to Charlie Hardin when a secret path over a wall topped with glass shards needs cutting through an ancient oak, even if that means venturing out on the brittle ends of tree limbs where any fall could break an arm, a leg—or a neck.
It's up to Charlie Hardin when a dog-shooting neighbor must be taught to keep his hands off Charlie's loyal best friend, even if that means inventing the world's most effective long-range pumpkin slingshot.
And it's up to Charlie Hardin to explore a boy-sized storm culvert that leads into darkness simply because that's what a red-blooded boy has to do, even if it leads to the heart of a perilous criminal plot built on Nazi schemes and greed.
Charlie understands that, no matter the cost, when danger arrives at his doorstep, to be brave, resolute, clever—and sometimes just a tiny bit nuts—is the only thing that counts, when all is said and done. For the one surefire ingredient every glorious summer adventure always requires is a willing and resolute adventurer. And in Austin, Texas, in the summer of 1942, that adventurer comes in the form of one unstoppable young teenager named Charlie Hardin!
About It's Up to Charlie Hardin :
"Theres a bucolic feel to these youthful misadventures, an innocence and naivety . . . Ing infuses Charlie's tale with humor and dry wit. . . . [A] fascinating glimpse of youthful life as it once was."— Publishers Weekly
"Ing borrows heavily from his own Austin childhood to create a delightful tale accurately capturing life before society attempted to domesticate boys. . . . [A] captivating book all ages will enjoy."— The Daily News of Galveston County
About Dean
"An always entertaining author."— Publishers Weekly
"Above all, he is a master storyteller."— SF & Fantasy Review
"Nobody makes high-tech adventures come to life better than Dean Ing."—David Brin
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 5, 2015
2 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Dean Ing
75 books34 followersDean Charles Ing was an American author, who usually wrote in the science fiction and techno-thriller genres.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State University (1956), a master’s degree from San Jose State University (1970), and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon (1974). It was his work in communication theory at the University of Oregon that prompted him to turn to writing in the 1970s.
Dean Ing was a veteran of the United States Air Force, an aerospace engineer, and a university professor who holds a doctorate in communications theory. He became professional writer in 1977. Ing and his wife lived in Oregon.
Much of Ing's fiction includes detailed, practical descriptions of techniques and methods which would be useful in an individual or group survival situation, including instructions for the manufacture of tools and other implements, the recovery of stuck vehicles and avoidance of disease and injury.
In addition to his fiction writing, Ing wrote nonfiction articles for the survivalist newsletter P.S. Letter, edited by Mel Tappan. Following in the footsteps of sci-fi novelist Pat Frank, Ing included a lengthy nonfiction appendix to his nuclear war survival novel Pulling Through.
In Ing’s fiction, his characters are involved with scientific or engineering solutions and entrepreneurial innovation, elements drawn from his own experience. A lifelong tinkerer, designer, and builder, he was an Air Force crew chief and a senior engineer for United Technologies and Lockheed. His characters know how things work, and they use ingenuity and engineering to solve situational challenges. Ing's work reflects the Oregon traditions of self-reliant independence and suspicion of authority.
“Since I deplore the voracious appetite of the public for entertainment-for-entertainment’s sake,” he told an interviewer in 1982, “most of my work has a clear didactic element. . . . I believe that Jefferson’s ideal of the independent yeoman farmer should be familiar to every generation because I mistrust a technological society in which most members are thoroughly incompetent to maintain the hardware or the software.”
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State University (1956), a master’s degree from San Jose State University (1970), and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon (1974). It was his work in communication theory at the University of Oregon that prompted him to turn to writing in the 1970s.
Dean Ing was a veteran of the United States Air Force, an aerospace engineer, and a university professor who holds a doctorate in communications theory. He became professional writer in 1977. Ing and his wife lived in Oregon.
Much of Ing's fiction includes detailed, practical descriptions of techniques and methods which would be useful in an individual or group survival situation, including instructions for the manufacture of tools and other implements, the recovery of stuck vehicles and avoidance of disease and injury.
In addition to his fiction writing, Ing wrote nonfiction articles for the survivalist newsletter P.S. Letter, edited by Mel Tappan. Following in the footsteps of sci-fi novelist Pat Frank, Ing included a lengthy nonfiction appendix to his nuclear war survival novel Pulling Through.
In Ing’s fiction, his characters are involved with scientific or engineering solutions and entrepreneurial innovation, elements drawn from his own experience. A lifelong tinkerer, designer, and builder, he was an Air Force crew chief and a senior engineer for United Technologies and Lockheed. His characters know how things work, and they use ingenuity and engineering to solve situational challenges. Ing's work reflects the Oregon traditions of self-reliant independence and suspicion of authority.
“Since I deplore the voracious appetite of the public for entertainment-for-entertainment’s sake,” he told an interviewer in 1982, “most of my work has a clear didactic element. . . . I believe that Jefferson’s ideal of the independent yeoman farmer should be familiar to every generation because I mistrust a technological society in which most members are thoroughly incompetent to maintain the hardware or the software.”
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 13, 2020
I received this book from NetGalley back in 2015 and although I've tried to read it a number of time, it just didn't work for me.
July 7, 2019
This review originally published in < ahref="http://www.lookingforagoodbook.com&qu... For a Good Book. Rated 2.5 of 5
It is the summer of 1942 and young boys don't sit around the house - they go outside and they explore and more than likely get into a little bit of trouble. Charlie Hardin is a pretty typical boy in that regard. His parents have given him just one rule ... stay out of trouble. But when Charlie and a buddy get mixed up in a counterfeiting ring, they do anything but keep out of trouble.
There have been a few really good 'buddy' books for boys over the years and this one sets itself apart (and a little out of reach) by taking place in the WWII era. While this somewhat unique time-frame is interesting it also keeps most of the readers from easily identifying with the characters. What we do see is that boys, and their outdoor adventures, haven't changed a whole lot through the course of a generation or two.
The addition of a couple of counterfeiters who think they've found a good place to set up shop adds some plot to the story, giving the reader something to anticipate - wondering when Charlie's adventures will intersect with the counterfeiters, and then wondering how things will resolve.
Overall it's a fine story, mildly entertaining, but I was never able to truly connect with it. I was always an outside observing - never brought into the story - which is fine, but then it needs to move along at a quicker pace to keep us engaged.
Looking for a good book? It's Up to Charlie Hardin by Dean Ing is a boy's adventure story without much to recommend it but is an otherwise okay read.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
It is the summer of 1942 and young boys don't sit around the house - they go outside and they explore and more than likely get into a little bit of trouble. Charlie Hardin is a pretty typical boy in that regard. His parents have given him just one rule ... stay out of trouble. But when Charlie and a buddy get mixed up in a counterfeiting ring, they do anything but keep out of trouble.
There have been a few really good 'buddy' books for boys over the years and this one sets itself apart (and a little out of reach) by taking place in the WWII era. While this somewhat unique time-frame is interesting it also keeps most of the readers from easily identifying with the characters. What we do see is that boys, and their outdoor adventures, haven't changed a whole lot through the course of a generation or two.
The addition of a couple of counterfeiters who think they've found a good place to set up shop adds some plot to the story, giving the reader something to anticipate - wondering when Charlie's adventures will intersect with the counterfeiters, and then wondering how things will resolve.
Overall it's a fine story, mildly entertaining, but I was never able to truly connect with it. I was always an outside observing - never brought into the story - which is fine, but then it needs to move along at a quicker pace to keep us engaged.
Looking for a good book? It's Up to Charlie Hardin by Dean Ing is a boy's adventure story without much to recommend it but is an otherwise okay read.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
January 25, 2015
Ing is known for his well-written techno-thrillers. This is his first book for young people, a semi-autobiographical novel of a boy in World War II-era Texas.
Charlie Hardin is intelligent, impulsive, and adventurous, a combination that gets him and his friend Aaron into a lot of trouble. From building a "dogapult" to get a glider out of a tree, to exploring storm drains and encountering counterfeiters, Charlie has a lot of adventures in the summer of 1944.
Charlie is an appealing character, very true-to-life. This book is both exciting and a lot of fun. Highly recommended.
Charlie Hardin is intelligent, impulsive, and adventurous, a combination that gets him and his friend Aaron into a lot of trouble. From building a "dogapult" to get a glider out of a tree, to exploring storm drains and encountering counterfeiters, Charlie has a lot of adventures in the summer of 1944.
Charlie is an appealing character, very true-to-life. This book is both exciting and a lot of fun. Highly recommended.
October 8, 2016
It's a nice, well written story that ultimately fails to find the right audience. It is largely based on nostalgia for the 1940's America and therefore very limited in its appeal. It was interesting enough to finish it, but it was not engaging enough to make you come back to it every chance you get.
February 21, 2015
Very well written but too juvenile for me. Really written for younger readers rather than Y/A.
March 13, 2015
The adventurous boyhood pranks are lost to the modern world - the WW2 at home setting gives us a glimpse into what it used to be in a boy's world.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews