A Lite Too Bright

[Young Adult Fiction (Ages 12-17)]

Perfect for fans of David Arnold and Robyn Schneider, Samuel Miller's stunning debut follows Arthur Louis Pullman III as he embarks on a cross-country train journey to chase the secrets of his namesake grandfather, a famous Salingeresque novelist. Arthur Louis Pullman III lives in his grandfather's shadow. The first Arthur Louis Pullman, an iconic Salingeresque author who wrote the American classic A World Away, died in Ohio a week after he disappeared from his family's California home. What happened in that week -- and how much his actions were influenced by his Alzheimer's -- remains a mystery. After Arthur is stripped of a college scholarship and begins to lose his grip on reality, he's sent away to live with his aunt and uncle. There, Arthur discovers a journal written by his grandfather, the narrator pining for something he can't quite understand and the final sentence containing a train route and a destination. Eager to escape his own demons, Arthur embarks on a cross-country train ride, guided only by cryptic clues left in his grandfather's dementia-influenced writing. But as Arthur gets closer to the real story, his journey is complicated by a shaky alliance with a strange girl who's keeping secrets of her own and by escalating run-ins with a dangerous Pullman fan base. Arthur's not the only one chasing a legacy, and how much will he risk to find out the truth?