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Greyhound
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Greyhound (edit title/settings)

by Steffan Piper (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

12-year-old Sebastien Ranes is taking a trip. He doesn't exactly understand why, but he accepts it. His mother often seems too emotionally detached to care for him. Her latest boyfriend Dick takes cruel pleasure in mimicking the boy’s stuttering, and wants to live his life without "somebody... read more

Summary edit see section history

12-year-old Sebastien Ranes is taking a trip. He doesn't exactly understand why, but he accepts it. His mother often seems too emotionally detached to care for him. Her latest boyfriend Dick takes cruel pleasure in mimicking the boy’s stuttering, and wants to live his life without "somebody... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

12-year-old Sebastien Ranes is taking a trip. He doesn't exactly understand why, but he accepts it. His mother often seems too emotionally detached to care for him. Her latest boyfriend Dick takes cruel pleasure in mimicking the boy’s stuttering, and wants to live his life without "somebody else's kid" getting in the way. So it's no surprise when they pack his bags to send him away. It is a surprise when they send him alone. Ushered from his Stockton, California home, Sebastien must fend for himself and travel two thousand miles across the country to live with his grandmother and sister in Pennsylvania. Along the way, he learns that sometimes caring, guidance and understanding can come from some unlikely people. Marcus is a man who has been neglected more by society than his family. As a young black ex-con, he is not the epitome of the person most would pick as a chaperone for their child's cross country trip. Yet rather than be held apart by their differences, Marcus and Sebastien are drawn together by the things that make us all alike. As both guide and protector, Marcus imparts his own style of wisdom while showing Sebastien that, despite the darker side of the human condition, people can and do care for one another. Greyhound is the story of the journey taken by a young boy into manhood, and by the reader into his world. Like every trip, there are many stops along the way. But this journey differs in the way young Sebastien arrives at his destination.

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Sebastien Ranes: A 12-year-old with a stutter who is sent by his mother on a cross-country bus trip from Stockton, CA to Altoona, PA by himself. Sebastien has led a sheltered existence, having spent much time confined to his room and having had problems developing friendships as he has been moved from school to school. On the trip, he learns a lot about friendship, about what it means to be a man, and about standing up for yourself. In addition, he starts to develop an interest in music and the opposite sex.
  • Marcus: A young, black ex-con who befriends and becomes a mentor/guide to Sebastien.
  • Dick: Sebastien's mom's boyfriend who doesn't want somebody else's kid getting in his way.
  • Charlotte: Sebastien's Mother.
  • Frank Burns: A grumpy bus driver who reminds Sebastian of the Frank Burns character from M*A*S*H.
  • Beanie Ranes: Sebastien's sister, who now lives with her father's parents in Altoona, PA.
  • Mr. Hastings: Greyhound Supervisor, Los Angeles Terminal
  • John F. Kennedy: Sebastien's grandfather in Missouri.
  • Leigh Allen: A passenger riding the California portion of the trip who gives Sebastien the creeps.
  • Grandma: Sebastien's paternal grandmother who lives in Altoona, PA.
  • Jim: The ingrate fiance/stepfather of Sebastien...
  • Jenny: A friendly waitress.
  • Sharon: Sebastien's dysfunctional mother and protagonist...
  • Roger Kendaltry-Daggett: One of his mother's former boyfriends, who had a violent temper.
  • Gunnery Sergeant Black: An old Marine traveling to Los Angeles.
  • Luanne: A girl on the bus whom Sebastien refers to as "Amber". She gives him a tissue to clean his face after the incident with Leigh Allen.
  • Germaine: One of several helpful Greyhound bus drivers...
  • Harley Earl: Not the car designer, but a bus driver
Show all 18 characters
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First Sentence edit see section history

The skin across my face was taut and smooth like plaster.

Table of Contents edit see section history

May 11, 1981 ...
1. Stockton, California 1
2. Fresno, California 15
3. Los Angeles, California 40

May 12, 1981 ...
4. Phoenix, Arizona 75
5. Gallup, New Mexico 102
6. Albuquerque, New Mexico 124
7. Outside of Elk City, Oklahoma 154

May 13, 1981 ...
8. Mount Vernon, Missouri 174
9. Saint Louis, Missouri 189

May 14, 1981 ...
10. Altoona, Pennsylvania 230

Greyhound: A Few Thoughts ... 241

Series & Lists edit see section history

This book is in Top Rated Books. (community list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Steffan Piper (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

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Page Count: 256

Classification edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Young Adult to General Fiction. A Reading Guide is available on the author's site.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
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  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
  • Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
  • White Widow

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