Publisher's Synopsis
Jesse Hall has one prayer: to see his broken family healed. But in a small town in the 1950s, where whispers travel faster than hope, Jesse's dreams face a cruel reality. His father, lost to alcohol and gambling, tears their family apart, leaving Jesse and his pregnant mother struggling to survive.
Forced to flee to a new town, Jesse does everything he can to help his mother make ends meet-delivering newspapers, collecting discarded bottles, and scavenging coins from vending machines. Yet, even as he holds onto faith that his father will change, life in their new home proves far from easy. Not everyone in the town welcomes the newcomers. A pair of bullies target Jesse at school, and a local preacher, with misguided intentions, threatens to have Jesse taken from his mother by reporting her as unfit to a zealous social worker. As they fight to stay together, Jesse's resilience shines through, catching the attention of unexpected allies-a compassionate deputy sheriff, a kind-hearted five-and-dime clerk, and his new best friend. Jesse Sings is the first gripping novel in the Searching for Family trilogy, a coming-of-age story about a boy forced to grow up too fast, in a world that doesn't offer second chances easily. Fans of Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens will find themselves captivated by Victor Hess's poignant and powerful narrative through young Jesse's eyes..
