Fourteen-year-old Doug Swieteck seems to have life’s odds stacked against him—he has no friends, a lousy older brother, and has been marked as a “skinny thug” by his teachers and the police of his newest school and town.
Then Doug meets Lil Spencer, a feisty girl who smells like daisies to him. Together they retreat and find refuge in the library, where Doug can escape from his abusive father, the suspicions of his neighborhood, and his scarred older brother’s return.
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In the library, Doug and Lil delight in John James Audubon’s bird plates and become roped into an adventure on Broadway. Their friendship deepens, and maybe even goes beyond friendship…
But when Doug’s older brother begins making trouble, Doug’s advances in the social sphere are put to the test.
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