First Boy

Book excerpt: Gary Schmidt's First Boy fast-paced political thriller will have the reader turning the pages in anticipation of the next clue. "You're my first boy, Cooper, my first boy," grandfather says just before he dies. All alone in the world, without even a dog, the only thing that keeps Cooper going is running the dairy farm. Suddenly, black sedans are swarming all around Cooper's small New Hampshire town, driven by mysterious men in dark suits. Cooper's barn is burned to the ground, and his house is broken into and searched during the night. The President of the United States calls on Cooper for a visit, and her opponent wants Cooper to join him on the campaign trail. Who exactly is Cooper Jewett, and what does the government want with him?