What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
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A Solitary Blue
SOLVED: Children's/YA
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SOLVED. YA fiction about boy with absent/neglectful mother whose dad becomes involved later in his life. [s]
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A young boy grows up with an absent father who is often working and a neglectful mother. The boy's father is a professor, and he calls his father "Professor." The mother is open with her affection and the boy clings to her in his childhood and is resentful of his father. In contrast to the father, who is more reserved and academic, the mother is more of a "hippie" (for lack of a better term!).
As the boy grows older, it becomes more apparent that his mother is neglectful and borderline emotionally abusive, and one day the boy returns home from school to find that his mother has left him. His grades begin to suffer and he begins to act out in school, ending with him being suspended/expelled. His father is called into the school, and the boy expects the father to be upset, but instead his father is sad and recognizes that like him, his son has been hurt by the mother's emotional volatility. The father explains to the son that he felt unable to be a parent, which is why he let the mother take on the role as primary caretaker, but he sees that was a mistake.
The father ("Professor") and the son move away from the town into a more remote area in the wilderness. As the book progresses, the son becomes older and closer to his father and begins his schooling again. The book ends with the son developing a friendship with an odd girl at the school. The same author of this book has another book that focuses on the girl the boy befriends.
This is the most I can remember now, I don't remember any other specific names other than "Professor." Any suggestions are appreciated!