Journey to an 800 Number

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An uptight snob learns to loosen up while spending time with his estranged, down-to-earth dad in this middle grade coming-of-age novel from E.L. Konigsburg, the Newbery Medal–winning author of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Rainbow “Bo” Maxmillian Stubbs can’t wait for his new life to begin. His mother just married a very rich man, and Bo is going to move into his stepfather’s big house and attend the elite Fortnum School in the fall. Everything is going to be first-class, just like the navy blazer with the Fortnum crest he’s already started wearing.

But first, Bo has to spend a month with his father while his mom is on her honeymoon. Bo’s dad is a traveling camel-keeper who entertains at shopping malls and conventions around the country. While Bo’s staying with him, he has to follow the same lifestyle of living in a mobile home, always traveling, and socializing with carnival workers—including a girl Bo’s age whose mom works for an 800-number telephone service. The whole situation is about as far from first-class as you can get.

Still, as Bo spends more time with his dad and his eccentric friends, he starts to learn about love, loyalty, and the art of pretending—things that would never be taught at Fortnum, which may make them all the more important.