24 Hours in Nowhere

When you come from Nowhere, can you ever really make it anywhere? Author Dusti Bowling returns to the desert to create a gripping story about friendship, hope, and finding the power within oneself. In Nowhere, Arizona, the least livable town in the U.S., thirteen-year-old Gus dreams of escaping his life and going to college. His plans are complicated by Bo Taylor, the town bully. When Bo forces Gus to eat a dangerously spiny cactus, Rossi Scott, a skilled racer, rescues him but loses her prized dirt bike to Bo. Determined to reclaim it, Gus and his friends Jessie Navarro and Matthew Dufort, along with Rossi, venture into Dead Frenchman Mine in search of gold. As they face challenges like cave-ins and mountain lions, they share their struggles and realize that this adventure may be their ticket out of Nowhere. Reminiscent of Louis Sachar’s Holes with its quirky characters and unique desert setting, this is a middle-grade read that will easily transport readers somewhere special.” – School Library Journal (Starred review)