Palms to the Ground — Amy Stolls

A thirteen-year-old boy does some hard traveling

Calman Pulowitz is an only child whose parents have been sending him to a therapist since he was able to talk. Now a teenager, he has reduced his suffering to insomnia, fainting spells, an addiction to Pepto-Bismol, and a dependence on the Psychic Hotline. But things are going to change, as he's about to travel far away from his home in Boston to Walla Walla, Washington, to meet his pen pal. Out West, he'll encounter Simon, the nine-fingered banjo player; Eleanor, the rosescented bartender; Tank, the fix-it man with an odd speech impediment; and, most important, Rizzy, his bully of a pen pal who greets Calman with a big surprise: she's a girl.

In this debut, readers will meet two brave, quirky, and utterly unforgettable characters who learn that growing up is a lot easier - and more fun - if you can count on a friend.