The Cloud Chamber - (Anne Schwartz Books) by Joyce Maynard (Paperback)

About the Book

From the acclaimed author of "The Usual Rules" comes this heartbreaking yet uplifting portrait of a 14-year-old Montana boy. As his family falls apart, only the promise of winning his school's science fair holds any hope of happiness for him.

Book Synopsis

When Nate Chance arrives home from school, he sees two police cars and an ambulance in his yard. Before his mother can get him and his little sister, Junie, inside, Nate and Junie witness their father, blood pouring down his face, being led by two police officers into an ambulance. He has tried to kill himself.

Home quickly becomes a different place. Junie stays curled up in front of the TV; Nate's mom retreats inside herself; and the rumor of mental illness makes Nate a social pariah at school. Only the promise of winning the science fair holds any hope of happiness for Nate. He's building a cloud chamber, the project that he and his dad dreamed of working on together. Maybe if he can build it, Nate can give his father something that will help him feel better and finally come home.

Review Quotes

"A bedrock of emotional authenticity underlies Maynard's storytelling, and the prairie landscape...makes a stark, unforgettable impression."
-- Booklist

"Readers will care about [these characters]."
-- Kliatt