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A Song for the Road
When a tornado destroys his Tulsa home, fifteen-year-old Carter Danforth is trapped in the pawnshop where his daddy hawked his custom, left-handed Martin guitar six years earlier―and then took off, leaving Carter with nothing but a hankering to pluck strings and enough heartache to sing the blues. Injured by the storm, Carter’s mother is laid up in the hospital. She wants Carter to fly out to Reno and stay with her sister. Too bad Carter already spent her hidden cash stash to buy his dad’s guitar. Rather than tell her the truth, he embarks on an epic road trip in search of his father in Santa Monica. But Carter isn’t a runaway. He reckons he’s a “running to.”
On his way west, Carter picks up licks, chord changes, and performance techniques from a quirky cast of Southwestern charmers: a rock star, a thief, a bluesman, a chanteuse-turned-chef, and the dream of a girl back home. A Song for the Road reads like a mash-up of The Wizard of Oz and Easy Rider―by the time he reaches the end of old US Route 66, Carter has learned how to deep-fry yucca blossoms and tell the truth of his life through music. (From the publisher)
On his way west, Carter picks up licks, chord changes, and performance techniques from a quirky cast of Southwestern charmers: a rock star, a thief, a bluesman, a chanteuse-turned-chef, and the dream of a girl back home. A Song for the Road reads like a mash-up of The Wizard of Oz and Easy Rider―by the time he reaches the end of old US Route 66, Carter has learned how to deep-fry yucca blossoms and tell the truth of his life through music. (From the publisher)
- GenresYoung AdultFiction
239 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2019
About the author
Rayne Lacko
4 books22 followersRayne Lacko is the author of The Secret Song of Shelby Rey, My Life Journal, Dream Up Now: The Teen Journal for Self-Discovery and A Song For The Road, a social-emotional learning-themed Young Adult novel, and Eric Hoffer Book Award honorable mention.
An expert in social-emotional learning, Rayne is the founder of SEL Solutions Pre K-12.
Rayne delivers lectures in creative writing, English Composition, and social-emotional learning (SEL), and trains educators to integrate SEL in classroom settings.
Her short fiction and poetry appear in Writer’s Digest, Ariel Chart International Literary Journal, Gravel, Mixtape Methodology, and Poetry Corners Anthology 2023. She has contributed to several publications to help families and teens stimulate change, help themselves and others, and be a force for good. She served as president of Bainbridge Performing Arts and is a volunteer assistance dog trainer for canine programs serving hospitalized children and children in trauma testifying in Washington courts.
Rayne cohosted creative writing workshops and camps, and facilitated a teen arts sowcase for seven years. She made TV appearances representing her former blog on new motherhood. She edited trade and consumer publications in the outdoor adventure industry with 2.7 million annual circulation.
Originally from Canada, Rayne now resides on a forested island in Washington, US. Rayne is married with two children and a noisy cat.
She earned her Master’s in Humanities (specializing in creative writing and in social-emotional learning) at Antioch University. She has a BA in Liberal Studies, with concentrations in creative writing and leadership. Rayne earned her Certificate in Teaching Higher Education at Harvard University.
An expert in social-emotional learning, Rayne is the founder of SEL Solutions Pre K-12.
Rayne delivers lectures in creative writing, English Composition, and social-emotional learning (SEL), and trains educators to integrate SEL in classroom settings.
Her short fiction and poetry appear in Writer’s Digest, Ariel Chart International Literary Journal, Gravel, Mixtape Methodology, and Poetry Corners Anthology 2023. She has contributed to several publications to help families and teens stimulate change, help themselves and others, and be a force for good. She served as president of Bainbridge Performing Arts and is a volunteer assistance dog trainer for canine programs serving hospitalized children and children in trauma testifying in Washington courts.
Rayne cohosted creative writing workshops and camps, and facilitated a teen arts sowcase for seven years. She made TV appearances representing her former blog on new motherhood. She edited trade and consumer publications in the outdoor adventure industry with 2.7 million annual circulation.
Originally from Canada, Rayne now resides on a forested island in Washington, US. Rayne is married with two children and a noisy cat.
She earned her Master’s in Humanities (specializing in creative writing and in social-emotional learning) at Antioch University. She has a BA in Liberal Studies, with concentrations in creative writing and leadership. Rayne earned her Certificate in Teaching Higher Education at Harvard University.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 12, 2019
Thank you @booksparks {#yafrc2019, #partner} for sending me A Song for the Road, for the #WordsMatter campaign. This one sounds like it’s going to be a really good coming-of-age story and I am obsessed with the cover! I’ve already finished!!
I read this all in one day and wow. I loved Carter and how he found his passion. He had such an amazing adventure and it will continue on. Most of the people he met truly believed in him and wanted to help him. People come from all sorts of backgrounds and they can be so good for you to connect with. He’s only 15 but you never would have known. Being able to watch him grow into this person who doesn’t give up and really strives for what he loves was amazing. This book definitely makes you feel good and I highly recommend it. I absolutely loved it ❤️❤️ I would also love a sequel to see what happens now, one can hope.
I read this all in one day and wow. I loved Carter and how he found his passion. He had such an amazing adventure and it will continue on. Most of the people he met truly believed in him and wanted to help him. People come from all sorts of backgrounds and they can be so good for you to connect with. He’s only 15 but you never would have known. Being able to watch him grow into this person who doesn’t give up and really strives for what he loves was amazing. This book definitely makes you feel good and I highly recommend it. I absolutely loved it ❤️❤️ I would also love a sequel to see what happens now, one can hope.
August 4, 2019
I'm a sucker for a good travel story and this one did not disappoint. Carter met his fair share of characters along the road, and it was interesting to learn about them as he did. I might have cheered when some people from the beginning of the novel made a reappearance down the line.
A Song for the Road is deeply about music -- finding yourself in music, learning music, music as liberation. Carter's love of music is so apparent, and perhaps the one constant in his life at the moment. Everything that happens to him somehow involves music. I liked the little touches of detail in the novel -- the way that Carter would write letters to Kaia in sparkly pen and how he created a new dish (the recipe is in the back of the book.) Also, who of us doesn't have a Ledbetter type person in our lives?! I think he was my favorite person Carter met on the road.
Read the full review on Book Nerds Across America: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com....
A Song for the Road is deeply about music -- finding yourself in music, learning music, music as liberation. Carter's love of music is so apparent, and perhaps the one constant in his life at the moment. Everything that happens to him somehow involves music. I liked the little touches of detail in the novel -- the way that Carter would write letters to Kaia in sparkly pen and how he created a new dish (the recipe is in the back of the book.) Also, who of us doesn't have a Ledbetter type person in our lives?! I think he was my favorite person Carter met on the road.
Read the full review on Book Nerds Across America: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com....
August 7, 2019
This is one of those titles that the cover just did not mesh with me. I wasn't sure what I was getting into but I was hoping for awesome musical things. What I read was a pretty good travel story with music. I think this one would have been really amazing if the author would have done chapters with musical headings. Kind of like a soundtrack for the book. You could listen to a song and read a chapter. This one is character heavy as we meet a lot of people on the adventure that Carter takes and keep an eye on each of them because they make reappearances thought-out the story which was a great addition.
Overall, if music is your jam and you really want to see someone taking an epic journey across the US of old Route 66! This music heavy story will be one that you won't soon forget. With musical details in every chapter and one amazing recipe at the back of the book this is one story that have you wanting to take a trip of your own!
Overall, if music is your jam and you really want to see someone taking an epic journey across the US of old Route 66! This music heavy story will be one that you won't soon forget. With musical details in every chapter and one amazing recipe at the back of the book this is one story that have you wanting to take a trip of your own!
September 23, 2019
This coming-of-age novel gripped me from the beginning. In the vein of great road trip stories, A Song for the Road invites you in, shakes you up, and takes you along for the ride. Fifteen-year-old Carter may have been abandoned by his famous musician dad, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to sit around and do nothing about it. A tornado, a guitar, and his mom’s enforced stay in the hospital propel Carter west from Tulsa to California in search of his dad. After learning guitar at his father’s knee, Carter thought he’d let go of music, just like his dad let go of him six years earlier. But thanks to a cast of iconic characters along the road, including a legendary blues musician in a honkytonk bar and a band called Poly Virus, Carter allows music to weave its way back into his life. Only this time, he’s in charge. He may be playing the vintage guitar his dad left behind, but Carter’s learning to tell his own story, his way. Infused with food, twangs, and an authentic Southwest vibe, Carter’s journey feels epic and contemporary at the same time. I loved it.
August 31, 2019
The maxim that a person should not judge a book by its cover is long outdated, I believe. In a time where media has given way to so much art and opened avenues to new creativity, covers of books speak as loudly as the words and, in this case, the music inside them. I entered (and won!) the giveaway for this ARC because the cover of this book was uniquely its own: layered with longing and journeying and southern twang.
The first thing I will say about this book is that it may be a light and breezy read, buts it depth should not be underestimated. Carter Danforth, secret son of a top-4o pop musician who left Oklahoma for bigger things and a mother who scrapes by refinishing furniture, takes off on his own after a tornado destroys his mother's run-down home in the hopes of rekindling his love for music and his relationship with his father after six years apart. Before fifty pages are through, Lacko asks readers to contend with natural disaster, poverty, domestic violence, and grief.
While the on the road without parents and without a penny to my name storyline has been read and re-read (and re-read) in the coming-of-age literature of our time, Lacko has a lot more to offer than the cliche. Surprised that the author is from Canada, I find that the writing has a truly genuine southern lilt, slow and musical. Every other line, it seems, is a true southern colloquialism like pitching a fit with a tail on it that flows naturally from the narration in a way that is rare and admirable.
With that said, I felt that many of the characters aside from Carter could have been fleshed out a little more. There were some that piqued my interest, and I wished that they were given a little more time to grow and develop. Over and over, we hear that Love does not walk away - and I wish that Lacko had not walked so easily from some of the characters that held our hearts. Coming in at just 239 pages, there is plenty of room in this book for additional growth and charm; after all, Carter touches and transforms the lives of those he meets on the road, which is critical as his own life is touched and transformed by them.
Overall, this is a brief but touching read. Music lovers and lovers of southern culture will admire Lacko's attention to detail and sweet, easy way of writing. I liked this book and would recommend it for anyone looking for a little warmth and even a little more redemption as summer fades and the weather cools. 3/5
The first thing I will say about this book is that it may be a light and breezy read, buts it depth should not be underestimated. Carter Danforth, secret son of a top-4o pop musician who left Oklahoma for bigger things and a mother who scrapes by refinishing furniture, takes off on his own after a tornado destroys his mother's run-down home in the hopes of rekindling his love for music and his relationship with his father after six years apart. Before fifty pages are through, Lacko asks readers to contend with natural disaster, poverty, domestic violence, and grief.
While the on the road without parents and without a penny to my name storyline has been read and re-read (and re-read) in the coming-of-age literature of our time, Lacko has a lot more to offer than the cliche. Surprised that the author is from Canada, I find that the writing has a truly genuine southern lilt, slow and musical. Every other line, it seems, is a true southern colloquialism like pitching a fit with a tail on it that flows naturally from the narration in a way that is rare and admirable.
With that said, I felt that many of the characters aside from Carter could have been fleshed out a little more. There were some that piqued my interest, and I wished that they were given a little more time to grow and develop. Over and over, we hear that Love does not walk away - and I wish that Lacko had not walked so easily from some of the characters that held our hearts. Coming in at just 239 pages, there is plenty of room in this book for additional growth and charm; after all, Carter touches and transforms the lives of those he meets on the road, which is critical as his own life is touched and transformed by them.
Overall, this is a brief but touching read. Music lovers and lovers of southern culture will admire Lacko's attention to detail and sweet, easy way of writing. I liked this book and would recommend it for anyone looking for a little warmth and even a little more redemption as summer fades and the weather cools. 3/5
September 19, 2019
I don’t usually have music running in the background since it can be a bit distracting but music was such a key theme throughout #ASongfortheRoad that it paired so beautifully. @raynelacko wrote such a stirring transformational story that carried the warmth of music notes from summer. This is the road trip book of the year that you must read!
September 4, 2019
In the wake of a devastating tornado strike Carter Danforth buys his father's Martin guitar from a Tulsa pawn shop and sets out to find his father. What begins as a quest to get the guitar autographed and perhaps get a few answers turns into a life-altering reunion. Along the way Carter changes from a confused kid to a confident young man who has seen enough of the world to realize relationships are more complex than they appear and that love can take many forms. He also lives out his musical dream along the way. This is an excellent, modern coming-of-age story. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I highly recommend it for readers of all ages.
📖"One after the other, sunburned farmers and tattooed biker guys plucked strings and pounded drums with masterful skills. Music didn't ask where you came from, Carter thought, but it made neighbors out of strangers."
🌵🎸
📖"One after the other, sunburned farmers and tattooed biker guys plucked strings and pounded drums with masterful skills. Music didn't ask where you came from, Carter thought, but it made neighbors out of strangers."
🌵🎸
September 4, 2019
A feel good story with a happy ending. This Oklahoma gal says y’all will like this book more than chicken fried steak with cream gravy. Honestly, the book is hard to put down, a fine piece of fiction because IRL things just wouldn’t happen that way. Nonetheless reading it was time well spent. Looking forward to reading more from Rayne Lacko.
February 2, 2020
As a whole, I liked A Song for the Road. Great story about the relationship between a teen boy and the adults in his life. However, it does not appear that Rayne Lacko fully researched the location she chose for part of the setting for her book. I live in Las Cruces, NM and the city does not resemble the Las Cruces, NM portrayed in the book. She makes it sound like a mere crossroads with a bar, gas station, and drug store. She also says the closest airport is in Albuquerque. Las Cruces is a large city. The closest major airport is in El Paso, less than an hour away. I don’t have a problem with authors making up places for their books, but when choosing an actual location it needs to be accurate. The story is well-written (other than the setting) with well-developed characters that readers can relate to. Unfortunately, due to the inaccuracies the book could be better.
A Song for the Road does contain some language (minced oaths) as well as bar scenes which make the book less appropriate for my K-12 Christian School library. Between that and the inaccuracies about our hometown, I most likely will not be adding A Song for the Road to the library.
I received a complimentary copy of A Song for the Road because I am a member of the Land of Enchantment award committee. This is my honest review.
A Song for the Road does contain some language (minced oaths) as well as bar scenes which make the book less appropriate for my K-12 Christian School library. Between that and the inaccuracies about our hometown, I most likely will not be adding A Song for the Road to the library.
I received a complimentary copy of A Song for the Road because I am a member of the Land of Enchantment award committee. This is my honest review.
March 18, 2025
A boy facing loss of his passion, hardship, recovery of joy, then an adventure to find the missing pieces. He fearlessly crosses the country, accepting assistance from strangers he meets along the path his destiny in the music he creates through the process of the journey. This is an Excellent tale! Absolutely recommend to readers of all ages.
January 3, 2024
A practical view of becoming a friend to the Southwest. Also, if you like long hair and aspirations, this is the mountain summit
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews