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THE ROAD FROM NOWHERE

Avi

From master storyteller and Newbery medalist Avi, THE ROAD FROM NOWHERE is a tightly plotted adventure in the old west, a tale of boyhood and two rivaling brothers stranded in a small mining town, and a deep dive into the history of one of America's most desperate periods of economic crisis.
Only three kids live in the tiny, remote high Colorado desert silver mining camp of Gatchett's Gluch, population 45. Brothers Ollie and Gus, thirteen and eleven, and Alys, the only girl in town, are the only kids. Bored and restless, they want to find silver on their own and liberate themselves from isolation. When they stumble upon a cave that contains traces of silver, the boys (along with Alys) are determined to set up their own mine. But Elijah Gatchett, the man who owns and runs the town, won't allow other prospecting in his area and has harsh ways to enforce it. Moreover, this is 1893, a time of economic crisis, with the price of silver going steadily down. Meanwhile, the boys' mother has found a man she wants to marry, a visiting geologist. At the heart of this story is Ollie and Gus's ever competitive relationship--often at odds but mutually dependent. How the kids navigate all thiswith a surprising endingis an old-west adventure that has not been told.
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Published 2026-01-01 by Scholastic

Comments

There are many fine children's writers but none that I would say are greater than Avi. His crystal-clear storytelling, his pitch perfect ear for dialogue, and his sly, keen eye for the workings of life have been strong over a prolific, 55-year, Newbery Medal-winning career. Avi's latest brilliance was inspired by the historic gold mining town that's near his own Colorado log cabin home. There's an old prospector's dynamite hole on the edge of his driveway.

A page-turner with a well-realized setting.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Avi organically captures the atmosphere of the era and setting via Ollie's animated narration, which maintains a sense of optimism and hope throughout his slice-of-life coming-of-age experiences and classic kid adventures. Read more...