Ghost Town

by Richard W. Jennings

I named him Chief. We go everywhere together.

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  About the Author

  Richard W. Jennings

  www.richardwjennings.com

  He is the "master of middle-American whimsy" according to Kirkus Reviews. The Horn Book explains, "He writes about children who are witty, intelligent, articulate, and likeable," and adds, "His novels are laced with droll tongue-in-cheek observations, philosophical musings, and slight hints of absurdity." The author says his work "celebrates the custodians of optimism—kids—and is dedicated to every kid who ever felt different."

  Jennings's debut novel, Orwells Luck, was launched to widespread critical acclaim in 2000, published in France as La chance de ma vie in 2001, and released through Houghton Mifflin and Scholastic Books as a trade paperback in 2006.

  This success was followed at roughly annual intervals by The Great Whale of Kansas (2001), My Life of Crime (2002), Mystery in Mt. Mole (2003), Scribble (2004), Stink City (2006), Ferret Island (2007), and The Pirates of Turtle Rock (2008), praised by the professional media, and found in schools and libraries throughout the United States.

  Several of Jennings's books have been excerpted or serialized in the Kansas City Star, including Orwells Luck, Scribble, Stink City, Ferret Island, The Pirates of Turtle Rock, and his latest work, Ghost Town.

  He shares his Overland Park, Kansas, home with three dachshunds—a bad one, a fat one, and a baby—where he writes full-time.