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Runaway Blues
Pete Fanning, author
Twelve-year old Caleb Wallace has spent his summer at Autumn Springs, coaxing his papa out of his room when he’s grumpy, attempting to gain the affections of a certain nurse, and pulling himself together when his grandpa looks right into him with nothing but a dull stare. Seems the only thing that puts a light in Papa Clem’s eyes is a family heirloom—an old folktale involving Robert Johnson’s harmonica down in Arkansas. Caleb is happy to listen; two things Papa Clem can still do well are tell a story and play the blues. But when Caleb finds his grandfather all spruced up with his guitar slung over his shoulder, set to take a trip down to the bus station, Caleb isn’t sure if it’s real or just the Dementia talking. Caleb decides to tag along, and what begins as a joyride around town becomes a three-state drive into time. Caleb and Clem endure bus trouble, layovers, and even play for tips under the Nashville skyline. Caleb, who’s never left his hometown, knows he should pull the plug on this journey but can’t force himself to make the call. Weary and penniless, the traveling bluesmen step off the bus and into muggy hot Mosby, Arkansas, ready to go looking for Robert Johnson’s harmonica. And what they find changes not only Caleb's summer, but his entire life.
Reviews
Independent Book Review

Pete Fanning’s second novel for middle-grade readers, Runaway Blues, features a boy who is about to end his summer vacation with a bang. The endearing twelve-year-old narrator (Caleb) describes himself as “buck-toothed and ugly as a water bug” and “working so hard just to be average.” He has no friends, and he lives alone with his mother, who is often busy working. But his paternal grandfather, his only other family member, has a big adventure in mind.
“Papa” has early-onset dementia and has moved to a residential facility. Caleb recognizes that “his brain was sick, not so much his body,” yet he can’t help but be taken aback again and again by his grandfather’s seesawing inability to recognize him. Still, he adores
and clings to his grandfather, and he even copies Papa’s interest in guitar, specifically in
the blues player Robert Johnson.
Though Caleb has never been outside Virginia, one day he indulges Papa’s whim to
travel to Arkansas in search of a blues treasure left behind by a long-lost “Uncle Clyde.”
He knows that his grandfather’s Uncle Clyde must be long gone, but the intrigue is too
tempting to pass up. The two of them hop on a bus for a spontaneous journey. Caleb
doesn’t tell his mother. Papa brings his guitar and entertains people along the way. For
Caleb, this is an adventure full of emotion: he loves his grandfather’s exuberant music
that textures their world and yields a nearly magical joy, but he realizes that they could
easily become lost or stranded and that he will be in big trouble when they get home.
Caleb’s language is endlessly colorful with a down-home country feel. He’s a confident
narrator, wise beyond his years with expansive skills of social observation of adults. It’s
simple to follow the story, insofar as there aren’t any subplots or simultaneous actions of
which to keep track. The reference to Robert Johnson inspired me to look up his tunes so
I could play a soundtrack to the book, and in the end, I believe the tale could inspire a
child to find passion in music like Caleb and Papa.
One difficulty is that Caleb’s appearance is not identified until we are two-thirds of the
way through the story, at which point race becomes a relevant and important part of the
narrative. Since readers will need to quickly recognize a not-yet developed theme, this
could prove to be a potential stumbling block for the ending to feel completely satisfying.
Overall, this is a feel-good story that acknowledges the confusion and grief of
confronting a grandparent’s worsening dementia while also celebrating the possibility of
still enjoying their company. More broadly, it delivers a lesson to kids about being
accountable to their parents for their whereabouts while it lets them explore the fantasy of
an unplanned journey. It features a lovable, good-hearted child of unflagging spirit whom
young readers can admire and with whom they can empathize.

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