Trouble

“Henry Smith’s father told him that if you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you.”

But Trouble comes careening down the road one night in the form of a pickup truck that strikes Henry’s older brother, Franklin. In the truck is Chay Chouan, a young Cambodian from Franklin’s preparatory school, and the accident sparks racial tensions in the school—and in the well-established town where Henry’s family has lived for generations. Caught between anger and grief, Henry sets out to do the only thing he can think of: climb Mt. Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine, which he and Franklin were going to climb together. Along with Black Dog, whom Henry has rescued from drowning, and a friend, Henry leaves without his parents’ knowledge. The journey, both exhilarating and dangerous, turns into an odyssey of discovery about himself, his older sister, Louisa, his ancestry, and why one can never escape from Trouble.

Grief and Loss: After his brother Franklin is gone, Henry must navigate a world of anger and sorrow that threatens to swallow him whole. An Unlikely Friendship: Henry seeks answers from Chay Chouan, the boy involved in the accident. But their shared journey to the mountain reveals a truth neither of them expected. Prejudice and Racism: A tragic accident ignites deep-seated prejudice in a wealthy New England town, forcing Henry to question everything he’s been taught. A Dangerous Journey: With only his rescued dog, Black Dog, for company, Henry faces the daunting trails of Mount Katahdin to honor a promise he made to his brother.