Susan VanHecke: Books for Young People

books for young people

Coming in 2009!

Flak Jacket Rock
HarperCollins, young adult
For Dean Kohler, a teenage soldier in Vietnam, the best way to shield himself from the horrors of combat is to play some rock and roll. So, right there, in-country, Dean and three of his fellow khaki-clad musicians-in-arms form a fully functional, touring rock combo that entertains thousands of U.S. troops during the darkest moments of the war.

Flak Jacket Rock is the true story of Dean Kohler's wartime experience, Vietnam as never before seen. One moment Dean and the band are patrolling and going toe to toe with the VC. The next they're commandeering a Jeep to drive to Pleiku, traversing the deadly An Khe Pass, to play "We Gotta Get Outta This Place" for a throng of cheering GIs. Unbelievably, Dean and his group even cut a record there in the jungle, covertly crafting a makeshift sound studio on a war-zone mountainside. Dean and the other members of the Electrical Banana (a name inspired by a Donovan song) create their own bit of order out of chaos, bringing a sense of normalcy to the surreal hell of jungle war. Co-written with Dean Kohler.

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Coming in 2009!

An Apple Pie For Dinner
Marshall Cavendish, easy reader
Granny Smith wants to bake a pie, but she only has plums. She sets off to find pie apples, winds up trading her plums for a bag of feathers, the feathers for a bouquet of flowers, the flowers for a gold chain, the chain for a puppy, and the puppy for apples. Through her generous giving to others, she finally finds the apples for her pie, which, of course, she shares with all those who helped her. This adaptation of an English folk tale includes a kid-friendly apple pie recipe. Yum!

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Coming in 2009!

I'm With The Band: Backstage With American Musical Instruments
Boyds Mills Press, nonfiction for middle-graders

Take a behind-scenes-tour of some of America's best-known musical instrument manufacturers, from Zildjian cymbals and Gibson and Fender guitars to Steinway pianos, Moog synthesizers, and more. Packed with exciting photos and fascinating info, I'm With The Band offers students a backstage-pass look at the enterprising individuals – many of whom weren't even musicians themselves – who became some of the greatest names in the business of making musical instruments.