Pete Martinen is perfectly happy splitting time between his mom and dad on weekends, visiting his Grandma Zoe almost daily, and putting ketchup on a hotdog without judgment, until his father decides to move from Detroit to Chicago for work. When his mother agrees to uproot and follow, Pete’s life descends into chaos just before his seventh grade year. Chicago isn’t all bad, to be sure, but it’s not the sites and sounds of a new city that have Pete hopeful, it’s the people he meets. He makes new friends, along with new enemies. Pete also attracts romantic attention from a girl on his baseball team. Significant trouble brews when Pete discovers the real reason his father wanted to move, and this will either disintegrate the family dynamics Pete has come to depend upon, or make them stronger than ever. Pete vs. the City of Chicago is a fun coming-of-age story for anyone who’s felt out of place, been overwhelmed by changing relationships, or argued over the merits of deep dish pizza.