Amazing book!! This one gets you hooked from the second you start all the way till the end. You want to know what is happening next and you catch feelings for the characters.

Modern-ish Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Type Tale
This story is just a hoot. Told exactly like a 12-year-old boy would tell it. This takes place in more modern times without video games, in the Adirondacks and elsewhere. The boys get into great mischief and take us along for the ride. 'Finding' a .22 rifle in a neighbor's shed, making a fort from a car relic, accidentally shooting a deer, and generally getting into tween mischief. Then, things get serious! This is a fun story for anyone who was a boy, wanted to be a boy, or has a boy. Or for any reader who had great and colorful childhood aspirations. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Woah, Nellie! This is one heck of a great read for most folks in middle school, and yes, even for older kids and adults. This was a rip-roaring read from the very start and sure to hold the reader’s attention as the two protagonists go from small-town dreamers to Big Time adventurers. Tucked in the center of the book are themes worth discussing, including the nature of good and evil, the responsibility of society to take care of its own, and the natural tug between wanting corporations to make a profit and safe-guarding the environment, to name just a few. This reader had a hard time putting the book down. It has been compared to Huckleberry Finn, and that is a safe assessment. Read it as a page-turner, enjoy the magical realism when it crops up, and stew on the harder questions posed, but by all means, buy this book!

Take a little Huck Finn, add in some Forest Gump, mix in some wild and crazy travel adventures and finally, but importantly, suspend disbelief and enjoy yourself. That is what you will get in this book. The story of one twelve year old boy wanting some adventure with maybe a little pirating thrown in for good measure, then add his best buddy finding him to step up the adventure. The boys get into and out of run-ins with hobos and some good guy vigilantes as they miraculously find their way safely nearly from the United States' coast to coast. After all that, home and some tender mothering begins to seem no longer seems like such a bad thing.

The story is not believable, but it is fun. In the beginning, I was thrown off wanting to read because the narrator's voice did not feel at all like the voice, speech patterns and ways of thinking of a twelve year old. Then again, I'm in my mid-70s, so I may have forgotten how a twelve year old thinks and talks. The story caught me after the first few pages and the wrong voice didn't continue to get in the way of my enjoying the book.

This turned out to be a very fun read. I think people of any age -- well, maybe males of any age more than women and girls -- will enjoy the adventure. If getting or recommending the book for a young boy, urge them to stick with it until they can ignore the speaking patterns of the boy that sound more like an adult trying to sound like a boy. Once that is done, the story will kick their sense of adventure into high gear.

This reads like somewhat of a cross between Middle-Grade to YA story, but is categorized as everything from General Fiction Adult to Children’s Action and Adventure. It is set in the more-or-less present time, but never seems like anything close to the present from the boys' expressions / language to the improbability of the story and how it unfolds.

As this story begins, twelve year-old Ruby Finn Heckler of Hackers Loon, New York, a small town in the Adirondack Mountains, is being interrogated by the FBI. They are demanding that he testify. The story then quickly returns to the beginning of Ruby’s story, the day when Ruby and his best friend Quinn Hennessey accidentally shoot a deer with a rifle they “borrowed,” and then end up dragging the deer to the lumber mill, leaving it there in the belief that someone will want it. When the owner of the lumber mill finds it, he claims it was left there as a warning by the Mexican cartel, and wastes no time spreading that rumour, as well as spreading fear meant to drum up votes for his preferred candidate. Unsurprisingly, a church is burned down soon after in order to place blame on yet another group, Muslim terrorists. The church where Ruby was inside just before the fire was started. Somehow, a rumour is spread that he was killed in this event. Instead of returning home to reassure everyone, he runs away, afraid that he would be tied to this act, and when he goes missing - after getting on a bus, ending up in Albany, and then Hoboken, NJ, he meets some pretty colourful people along the way, including the man on the bus who Ruby strikes up a conversation with, a just released prisoner who tries hard to convince Ruby he can’t be his friend. But his adventure doesn’t end there, either, as Quinn joins him and together they make their way across the country to Nebraska, hoping to find some cowboys. They do meet some real characters, a man called Douglas ‘Lodgepole’ Pine and his Helical Unfolded militia.

This is promoted as being a modern day Huck and Finn, but it doesn’t feel all that modern, although the adventure they go on has slightly more modern conveniences than the pre Civil-War times of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Still, it doesn’t feel set in present times, at least for the most part the story could easily be set anytime from the 1930’s to maybe the late 1940’s, with some small exceptions. Still, it was entertaining, more in some parts than others - even if mostly difficult to believe - and Ruby and Quinn are definitely characters you'll want to root for.


Pub Date: 02 Feb 2021

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Bogie Road Publishing

I am so excited that this was my first book of 2021 because it sets a very high bar for all of the books to follow. I loved this story. I loved that it was told through the eyes and voice of a child, and yet it conquered really heavy themes of corporate greed, grief, and religious hypocrisy. This was an easy read and I loved every page of it. I withheld the fifth star only because of some insensitivity around minorities and the LGBTQ community. I understand that these offensive comments were coming from the viewpoint of a child who didn’t know better, but it could have been left out or done in better taste.

A modern day Tom Sawyer. Good story with well developed characters. A humorous look at modern life!


Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Reminiscent in style to Mark Twain's tall tales of adventure on the road, and a modern day take on Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, this first-person narrative takes us on a runaway journey across the United States with a 12 year old boy who is presumed dead back home.

To me, this story felt rather retro, which added to its charm. Although it takes place in the 21st century, it has more the feel of the 1950's-1960's or even earlier. There is very little mention of modern devices or lifestyles, most of the characters would feel right at home at any time in history since the advent of the train and automobiles. The protagonist seems very innocent of the world and references some beliefs that could easily come straight from Tom Sawyer. But maybe I've just lost touch with how superstitious 12 year olds can be this day and age.

This book has a little bit of everything in it: the dangers of riding the rails, hobos in Hoboken, lawyers-turned-street people, and wild-eyed captors with subversive god complexes.

Very well written with lots of laugh out loud moments, it's a fun read and I recommend for everyone from young adults and up.

The story starts with a powerful descriptive heart-wrenching piece of writing where the boys encounter a deer and it will remain in my memory for a long time.
Unfortunately, the boys' escapades became so unbelievable with loose ends and defying logic that I persevered thinking just hang in there it's only a story. Let it go.
The farm was painful for it ended up being a lead into a political speech concerning all the issues capitalism had and how we should take it down. I wasn't against the ideology for I agree with the problems capitalism has only this was summed up by Wally in a couple of sentences at the dinner table.
From there once again things happened that defied logic and an ending that was just a lazy tie-up when ideas have stopped.
Being completely ignorant concerning Huckleberry Finn and his adventures I read 'Up A Tree' story as a clean sheet. with no comparisons as many reviews have alluded to. My heroes when young were Ned Kelly and The Man from The Snowy River. Just saying.
An independent review Net Galley / Bogie Road Publishing

This book was an unexpected joy. It was like a roller coaster ride with unexpected twists and turns. It is wildly entertaining as the author takes you through the outrageous adventures of the main character, Ruby. As soon as you think the plot can't get any crazier, Ruby manages to get himself entangled in another adventure. The prose is lightning quick as Ruby zooms through one dilemma after another.
Entertaining, lighthearted and fully of spunk, readers will root for Ruby and his rag-tag team of friends.

I was intrigued and excited about this book, but I'm afraid to say it wasn't for me. Whilst I understand the Tom Sawyer links I felt that the book was somewhat lost. Firstly I wasn't sure when this was set. It felt like tom sawyer but appeared to be modern, but the characters seemed dated and Ruby's adventures and attitude felt like something out of an 80s children's book.

For me the book lacked substance. ThinGS happened but there was no real development and the 2 bits walk from o e problem to another but never really seem to be in any danger. It felt almost naive. Now yes, this is what made sawyer and Finn irresistible characters but set in modern times this simplistic, childish view of the world if don't seem to work for me. The story is reasonably well written, and the characters likeable enough but I felt no comeraderie with anyone and found the story overly simplistic.
Not for me but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

This book was pure madness!! I couldn't believe how much had happened to our main character in the first quarter of the book! The description I had read was a modern day Huck Fin and that's spot on! Although as you work your way through the story the events got more and more far fetched it was still a fun read. The only thing I'd say was I expected more of an FBI file book - with other people's accounts of the events. Instead it was just Ruby's. Still a fun and quick read!

This book is well written and has good character development I just couldn’t personally get into the story and found it a little bit of a struggle to keep reading. Either way it just left a little lacking for me personally. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Hand this one to folks wanting a middle grade Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, or if they enjoyed Hatchet, Found by Joseph Bruchac, or books by Gordon Korman. Fun and with a lot of action. It’s a welcome addition to that variety of action adventure books. Fun ride!