Books with author Rob Kirkpatrick

After Momma's death, Toughboy and Sister find themselves in the care of Father, who spends more time in the local bar than looking after his children. With help from the women in the village, though, Toughboy and Sister get through the rest of the winter without Mamma. Finally, spring comes: time to make the long-awaited annual trip to the fish camp with Father. Once they arrive at their cabin, things start to look up for the children -- the fish camp is always fun, and Father seems to be in good spirits. Maybe their fractured family will be all right. Or not. When Father goes to town and drinks himself to death, Toughboy and Sister are suddenly left to fend for themselves in the Alaskan wilderness.

German immigrant and farm wife Hulda Klager possesses only an eighth-grade education -- and a burning desire to make something beautiful. What begins as a hobby to create an easy-peeling apple for her pies becomes Hulda's driving passion. It's a time-consuming interest in plant hybridization that puts her at odds with her family and community, as she challenges the early 20th-century expectations for a simple housewife.Through the years, seasonal floods continually threaten to devastate her Woodland, Washington orchard and gardens, and a series of family tragedies cause even Hulda to question her focus. In a time of practicality, can one person's simple gifts of beauty make a difference?

Deet's world turns upside down when his father is arrested for drug use. It doesn't seem possible that kind, caring Dad could be a criminal! After all, he only took the pills to stay awake so he could work two jobs. Now what will happen? How will Deet be able to face his classmates? Where will they get money? And most importantly, will Dad be okay in prison? Hurt, angry, and ashamed, Deet doesn't want to visit his father in jail. But when Mom goes back to work, Deet starts visiting Dad after school. It's frightening at first, but as he adjusts to the routine, Deet begins to see the prisoners as people with stories of their own, just like his dad. Deet soon realizes that prison isn't the terrifying place of movies and nightmares. In fact, Dad's imprisonment leads Deet to make a few surprising discoveries -- about his father, his friends, and himself. With moving realism, Kirkpatrick Hill brings to light the tumultuous experience of having a parent in jail in this honest and stirring story of a young man forced to grow up quickly.

When Deet’s father is arrested for drug use, Deet cannot believe it. His easygoing, loving father isn’t an addict! But Dad was working two jobs to make more money and taking pills to stay awake during the night shift. And now he’s in jail. Hurt, scared, and angry, Deet doesn’t want to see his father in prison. But when Mom goes back to work and no longer has the time, Deet decides to start visiting his dad after school. It’s scary at first, but as he adjusts to the routine and learns more about the prisoners and their lives, Deet begins to realize that prison isn’t necessarily the horrible, violent place of movies and nightmares. Told from Deet’s perspective, Do Not Pass Go sheds light on the tumultuous experience of having a parent in jail and gives insight into the everyday lives of prison inmates and the stories behind what brought them there.