Gary Schmidt's First Boy fast-paced political thriller will have the reader turning the pages in anticipation of the next clue. "You're my first boy, Cooper, my first boy," grandfather says just before he dies. All alone in the world, without even a dog, the only thing that keeps Cooper going is running the dairy farm. Suddenly, black sedans are swarming all around Cooper's small New Hampshire town, driven by mysterious men in dark suits. Cooper's barn is burned to the ground, and his house is broken into and searched during the night. The President of the United States calls on Cooper for a visit, and her opponent wants Cooper to join him on the campaign trail. Who exactly is Cooper Jewett, and what does the government want with him? “This fast-paced and suspenseful story by Newbery and Printz Award winner Gary Schmidt, set on a New Hampshire dairy farm, creates both a bucolic rural existence and scenes of political greed and ambition . . . the novel is reminiscent of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Ryder stories and will find a delighted audience of young listeners who like adventure as well as happy endings brought about by hard work and good intentions.” ― School Library Journal “Political intrigue meets small-town New Hampshire in this story of identity, perseverance and love.” ― Publishers Weekly “Political intrigue comes to rural New Hampshire in this quiet thriller. Readers will root for this appealing protagonist.” ― The Horn Book Magazine “It is a timely novel of coming-of-age into a society increasingly divided along cultural lines.” ― Voices of Youth Advocates “Cooper's grief, solitude, and loneliness are poignantly and realistically drawn, and secondary characters add humor to this fast-paced tale.” ― School Library Journal “. . . the political machinations are fun. Best of all, though, are the realistic portrayal of a young teen alone, the unsentimental details of his work, the lyrical sense of the place he loves, and, above all, the meaning of family.” ― Booklist “. . . an outrageous adventure story and a moving tale of self-discovery.” ― Grand Rapids Press “This quick paced mystery thriller will keep readers turning the pages.” ― Palmetto Parent Gary D. Schmidt is a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He received both a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor for Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and a Newbery Honor for The Wednesday Wars . He lives with his family on a 150-year-old farm in Alto, Michigan, where he splits wood, plants gardens, writes, and feeds the wild cats that drop by. First Boy By Gary Schmidt Square Fish Copyright © 2007 Gary Schmidt All right reserved. ISBN: 9780312371494 First Boy CHAPTER ONE P ETER HURD saw the black sedan first--dark and slow, prowling Main Street like a panther. It stopped beside the granite steps of New Lincoln Public Library as if to look for prey. Then it came on again, still slow, low to the ground. It paused by the Miracle Theatre, and by the New Lincoln Diner, and then right beside New Lincoln Market--right beside Peter--where it crouched and waited. Its windows were tinted so deeply that Peter couldn't see inside at all."Jewett," Peter called back into the market.Cooper Jewett wasn't in any hurry to come outside. They had just finished freshman cross practice, and Cooper was savoring the last few swallows of his forbidden root beer. Coach would take him apart if he knew that Cooper was drinking anything but water. "Soda willkill you. It'll send little carbonated bubbles right through your bloodstream and up into your heart. Then they'll all come together and bust." Coach would throw his arms up in an explosion. "Soda will kill you, just like that."But after a run on a September afternoon that could still hold an August heat, Cooper and Peter generally decided that an icy Admiral Ames Root Beer was worth the risk."Jewett," Peter called again.Cooper took another cold swallow.The black sedan moved on. Peter watched it stalk off Main Street and down onto Whittier Road. He realized that he had been holding his breath.Cooper came out, Admiral Ames Root Beer still sweet on his lips. "I've got the flour and sugar," he said. "You get the milk."Peter took the milk Cooper handed to him, his eyes still watching the corner.Cooper got on his bike and hunched his loaded backpack up around his shoulders. "If Old Ford was here, I could drive us home," he said."Could you drive a sedan?""I guess. If it had a stick.""Maybe you'll get your chance."Cooper looked at him. Sometimes Hurd could say crazy things like that, out of the blue. "You think a sedan is going to stop and ask us in so we can drive home?""Why not?""Because this is New Lincoln, New Hampshire, and the only strange thing around here is you.""Witty," said Peter. "Very witty." He hauled the milk on top of his handlebars and pushed off. Cooper pushed off too, the flour and sugar heavy in his backpack, and side by side they rode down Ma