What We're Reading: Sky of Stone

Well, it's been a long and wonderful trip! I assume that we've all spent a lot of time (at least mentally) amongst the mountains and tipples of Coalwood, West Virginia. The last book in the series, Sky of Stone, is perhaps my favorite and well worth your time if you're done with the first two - Rocket Boys and The Coalwood Way. Sky of Stone picks up after Sonny's first year at college. He's looking forward to a summer spent with his mother at her new house in Myrtle Beach. However, trouble is brewing in Coalwood and he resigns himself to a vacation spent in his hometown, in the mines. There is a mystery he must unravel here, which culminates in the trials against his father after an accidental death. It seems as though all the residents of Coalwood are hiding something. Sonny begrudgingly takes on the task of finding out the truth.

This book, like the others, reads like a novel. I'm not saying it's untrue. Hickam has the amazing ability to take his real life and spin it into something that propels you to the edge of your seat. The last book reads like a good murder mystery. Sonny the rocket boy becomes Sonny the detective. Click on the link above to see if a copy is currently available at the Burbank Libraries.