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Robert Carter is an eighth-grader in 1976 who´s a ready target for the class bully. That is, until a new kid appears: Nathan Tilly. Nathan is fearless and obsessed with kites and flying. As Robert and Nathan become friends, they witness unexpected tragedy and learn that all families can harbor secrets. A coming-of-age story and moving family drama that explores the costs of misplaced hope.

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From the author of the "lyrical and compelling" (USA Today) novel A Good American comes a powerful story of two friends and the unintended consequences of friendship, loss, and hope.

For Robert Carter, life in his coastal Maine hometown is comfortably predictable. But in 1976, on his first day of eighth grade, he meets Nathan Tilly, who changes everything. Nathan is confident, fearless, impetuous-and fascinated by kites and flying. Robert and Nathan´s budding friendship is forged in the crucible of two family tragedies, and as the boys struggle to come to terms with loss, they take summer jobs at the local rundown amusement park. It´s there that Nathan´s boundless capacity for optimism threatens to overwhelm them both, and where they learn some harsh truths about family, desire, and revenge.

Unforgettable and heart-breaking, Setting Free the Kites is a poignant and moving exploration of the pain, joy, and glories of young friendship.

From the Hardcover edition.

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The author of A Good American , Alex George is an Englishman who lives, works, and writes in the middle of America. He studied law at Oxford University and worked for eight years as a corporate lawyer in London and Paris before moving to the United States. He lives in Missouri with his family.

From the Hardcover edition.

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