Susan Birge is at her wit's end. Having survived as a single mother and finally achieved her dream of owning a flower shop, she goes to bed every night fearing what bad news the next day will bring regarding Rodney-her sixteen-year-old son, whom she dearly loves.
Rodney, on the other hand, couldn't care less. Or so he thinks. Choosing apathy over the pain of being abandoned by his father, he's fallen in with friends who are affiliated with drugs and alcohol. Arrest-and resisting arrest-seems to be his favorite pastime.
Flowers for Rodney tells the poignantly realistic story of a teenage boy struggling to find himself in a world made bleak by the loss of his father. Addressing the mother-son relationship with a refreshing candidness, author Kristine E. Brickey tackles social issues like drugs, alcohol, peer pressure, bullying, and their affects on teens and parents with a raw and illuminating honesty.
Can Susan find the delicate balance of loving her son while still holding him accountable for his actions? When Rodney is sentenced to community service, can he use it as an opportunity to let go of his anger and change his life?
About the Author: Kristine E. Brickey lives in a small Michigan town with her husband, two dogs, donkeys, and her horse. The mother of two, she has also spent twenty-six years teaching children in the public school system-nine years in elementary and seventeen in middle school, with a focus on language arts.
Brickey holds a master's degree in reading and is particularly interested in working with boys and literacy issues. She is always looking for ways to encourage young writers as well as young readers and started a middle school writing club to promote opportunities for her students.
Inspired by a conversation with her son, Brickey wrote the candid and poignant YA novel Flowers for Rodney to inspire teens and start an honest conversation that parents can engage in with their children.
