The Boy from Somewhere Else

by Michael de Guzman

According to the adults who rule his existence, the boy is guilty of asking questions, of wanting to live his own life, of being a misfit. At the age of twelve, he’s sent on a mission that he must complete if he is to move on with his life. When he returns home, he’s judged a failure. He’s adjusted and sent off to work in a garbage dump for the rest of time. His daring escape returns him to the land of his mission. His arch enemy pursues him. The boy knows that if he’s caught, he’ll be taken back and turned into illuminated drool. Instead of hiding, he risks it all to find the human who is most important to him.

246 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2018

About the author

I grew up seeing hypocrisy pretty much everywhere I looked. I still see it. I believe it must be conquered. I think love, hope, romance and our imaginations are the best way to do it. Most of all I believe that kids get the short end of the stick. We pay lip service to the idea that they are the future, but we short change them. Kids don't have the vote. They don't have lobbyists because they don't have money. Everything about their lives is determined by adults, often to their detriment.

I write about kids who populate the margins of society, who have something big to face in life, who take action on their own behalf, and who are aided along the way by adults who live on the margins themselves. I write about the world we live in, and the world inside my head. They tend to be quite different places.

My latest novel for kids and parents, GROWING UP RITA, is the story of a mother and daughter caught up with the problems of immigration. MELONHEAD and BEEKMAN'S BIG DEAL are now available in paperback and as ebooks.

I attended Trinity School in New York City, and the University of Rhode Island, where I met my wife. We live in Seattle, Washington with our dog, Banjo.