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The Boll Weevil Express
A bored northern California farm boy and a brother and sister from a children's home decide to run away to Idaho but find themselves down and out in San Francisco.
211 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1983
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About the author
P.J. Petersen
32 books12 followersP. J. Petersen grew up on a farm six miles from Geyserville, California. He says, "I was sure that I lived in the most boring place in the world--a prune farm in the middle of nowhere. Since my family didn't have the time or money to travel, I did my traveling through books. I read everything I could get my hands on. Most of my books came from the Geyserville Public Library, which was one tiny room served by the county Bookmobile. I loved the place, especially on the day after the Bookmobile came."
Mr. Petersen wanted to be a writer from the beginning. He had other ambitions, like being an airline pilot and a baseball player, but he always intended to write books.
He was not an immediate success. He wrote seriously for over twenty years without selling a single word. Then he had his best idea--to write a book for his daughter Karen, a seventh grader at the time. He had never written for young people, but he knew the kind of books his daughter liked. That book, WOULD YOU SETTLE FOR IMPROBABLE?, was his first published novel. He has been writing books for young people ever since.
Mr. Petersen lives with his wife, Marian, in Redding, California. He has two grown daughters, Karen and Carla, and two grandchildren, Ryan and Emma. A graduate of Stanford University with a Ph.D. in American literature from the University of New Mexico, he taught at Shasta College from 1964 to December 2000. Now that he has retired from teaching, he is available for school visits, workshops, or conferences.
Mr. Petersen wanted to be a writer from the beginning. He had other ambitions, like being an airline pilot and a baseball player, but he always intended to write books.
He was not an immediate success. He wrote seriously for over twenty years without selling a single word. Then he had his best idea--to write a book for his daughter Karen, a seventh grader at the time. He had never written for young people, but he knew the kind of books his daughter liked. That book, WOULD YOU SETTLE FOR IMPROBABLE?, was his first published novel. He has been writing books for young people ever since.
Mr. Petersen lives with his wife, Marian, in Redding, California. He has two grown daughters, Karen and Carla, and two grandchildren, Ryan and Emma. A graduate of Stanford University with a Ph.D. in American literature from the University of New Mexico, he taught at Shasta College from 1964 to December 2000. Now that he has retired from teaching, he is available for school visits, workshops, or conferences.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 1, 2021
I've always been drawn to the kids-running-away scenario, ever since The Boxcar Children. This one was published in the 80s, but set in 1957. Two friends and a kid sister set off from Healdsburg to San Francisco (with Twin Falls, Idaho, as the ultimate destination).
The dialogue and the day-to-day details of where to sleep and how to eat aren't always gripping. But I appreciate that Cindy ("almost fourteen") is consistently the voice of reason and reality checks.
The dialogue and the day-to-day details of where to sleep and how to eat aren't always gripping. But I appreciate that Cindy ("almost fourteen") is consistently the voice of reason and reality checks.
Displaying 1 of 1 review