| A young teen, Ricky, is a whiz at flying small aircraft, thanks to his stunt-flying father. Ricky can handle a loop without waffling, but he is stunned into shock when he overhears a conversation between his father and DEA agents trying to bring his father out of retirement to pursue members of a drug cartel in Mexico. The agents let it slip that the drug cartel arranged a fatal car crash which had taken the life of Ricky's mother several years previously.
Ricky is disgusted when his father refuses to act and he decides to take matters into his own hands. He runs off to Mexico where he must survive in the guise of a "rattero" or homeless street waif. With the help of Soledad, a young girl, he manages to locate the drug cartel and come up with an ambitious plan to steal an airplane and make a daring escape. Ricky learns a lot about the true meaning of courage. His friendship with Soledad opens his eyes to a life very different from his own. He learns to understand and forgive his father. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) Time/era of story: Kid or adult book? - Ages 7-14 descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30 % Crime Thriller Yes General Crime (including known murderer) Yes Who's the criminal enemy here? - drug dealers Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - a teen Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - an organization Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - money/treasure The antagonists are: - Drug kingpins How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Dumb Setting The Americas (not US): Yes The Americas: - Mexico Desert? Yes Small town? Yes Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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