FROM THE AUTHOR OF MY NAME IS RIVER BLUEIt's June 1, 1967, Derry McKenna's fourteenth birthday. He thought his father was no longer worried about him getting into trouble again, but he was wrong. His father is forcing him to accept a four-year scholarship to Cade-Dare Academy, an all-boys boarding school known for its high academic standards and strict discipline.At first, Derry hates the idea of going away to boarding school, but as much as he's been bullied in Clayville, he thinks a fresh start might be a good thing. Maybe he can make the friends he's always wanted. All he has to do is keep quiet about a few things. Sure, everyone will know he's a scholarship student, but no one has to know exactly how poor he is. He doesn't have to tell them that his mom ran off when he was just a toddler and left his father deeply in debt, or that his crappy trailer's only bathroom doesn't even have a door.

He definitely won't tell anyone what his father's friend did to him two years ago, and there's no way he'll mention his juvie record.After a few weeks at CDA, Derry is surprisingly happy, but he has no idea how much trouble is heading his way. An old secret will threaten to destroy his new life and before the fall session is over, someone will try to kill him.