The Summer of Falling Stars comes out soon.

It’s the summer of 1979, and the big news is that Skylab, the first
space station, will come crashing down any day now! This intrigues
Riley Shrader, a bright 12-year-old boy who loves to learn all there is
about space and the stars. Oh, how he would like to see that fiery
spectacle. When he spies a falling star, he wishes for
something extraordinary to happen.

To start with, will that cute girl in his class want to go to the Sunflower
Festival with him? Will she let him, gulp, kiss her? Or does she think
he’s not macho enough?

Will he get to have fun with his lifelong best friend — riding bikes,
swimming at the dam, camping out? Or would he rather spend time with his fellow jocks instead of him, who is most definitely not athletic.

Riley also can’t wait to perform in the community theater’s production of Peter Pan. But Mama doesn’t like that idea. She’s afraid the “fairies” will take him away. To help him be more “manly,” she sends him to a camp that helps boys become confident men. There, he finds his arch-nemesis, the boy who has bullied him for years. But after spending time with him, he sees him in a whole different light.

Meanwhile, a mysterious man suddenly seems to be showing up everywhere in this dinky town, keeping his eyes on Riley. And Mama seems to know him. She has been behaving oddly lately. Riley discovers their connection and their deep, dark secret.

Over the summer, Riley has lots of adventures. His wish comes true. He does have an extraordinary summer, and he discovers secrets about his hometown, his mother, his best friend, and himself.