Last Chance Texaco
is a story about a girl who finds herself at odds with the world.  Until one day, someone believes in her.   Lucy Pitt is the main character of the
story.  She is a girl defiled by life’s
circumstances.  She is thrown into
situations of her own making until one day, hope and truth come into her life.

Lucy Pitt was one of those people who by unfortunate
circumstances were placed in the foster care system.  She had been in foster care since she was seven years old.  Now a teenager she finds herself at the last
stop, "Last Chance Texaco". 
The next stop is Rabbit Island also called Eat-Your-Young Island by kids
in the system.  It is the place where
children go who are deemed unmanageable.

Leon turns out to be Lucy’s mentor throughout the story.  Leon is one of the counselors who believe
there is some good in Lucy.  Growing up
in the system himself, understands Lucy’s frustrations and anger.  Lucy finds that Last Chance Texaco better known
as Kindle house is not that bad of a place. 
She already knows the ropes and quickly finds the pecking order.   Joy, Kendle homes bully becomes Lucy’s
rival but Lucy handles the situation very well. 

Lucy attends a school for rich kids and is set up and humiliated in
Biology class by a girl named Alicia. 
Alicia’s boyfriend steps in and Lucy gives him a black eye.  Lucy is given detention but because of
Leon’s intersession, Alicia’s boyfriend Nate Brandon serves detention
also.  They were both given the task of
picking up garbage on the school grounds.  
At first, they hated each other but a squabble over some trash leads to
a lasting and later an important friendship.  

Aside from the meltdown’s Lucy witnesses, she begins
to feel like she fits in at the home. 
Except one of the counselors at the home has it in for her.  Emil the home’s psychologist doesn’t seem to
think that Lucy belongs at Kendle house. 
He tells Leon and the other counselors that Lucy should go to Rabbit
Island.  Joy continues to give Lucy a
hard time but by Thanksgiving Lucy decides that Kendle house was the happiest
place she’d ever been.  She begins to
work hard to prove that she belongs.

Lucy’s fears are realized when Kendle house lacked funding to remain
open.  The situation worsens when
neighbors blame the group home kids for setting car fires.  Lucy and Nate’s friendship grows stronger
when Nate stands up for Lucy and takes the blame for something neither of them
had anything to do with. 

Leaving Kendle house was hard for Lucy but she learned to believe in
herself and in others.  She learned that
with courage and trust in others life isn’t so bad and finds a place at last
where she can love and grow.

This was a compelling and touching story of mainly one child torn by
loss and anger. She survives deception, humiliation and cruelty in her life and
learns a valuable lesson about honor and trust.   I would highly recommend this book to young adult readers as a
hard book to put down.

© 2005 Patricia Ball

Patricia
Ball, B.A., applies the following descriptions to herself:

• Research Chemist for 23 years
• BA degree in Biology, Elms
  College
• Recent graduate of Institute
  of Children’s Literature
• Wife and Mother of two
• Published Poet/Writer
• Enjoy composing music, art,
  writing, reading
• Interested in Metaphysics,
  Psychology and Science
• Enjoy traveling:  USA,
  Canada and Europe

Categories: Children