Shore Leave

The beach was supposed to be Billy McBride's escape. It is 1975, and fourteen-year-old Billy is heading back to Hardwick Beach for another summer at the Jersey Shore. After a long school year, he is ready for pinball, Slurpees, monster models, bare feet, boardwalk nights, and lazy days by the ocean. But this summer is different. His girlfriend Lucy is moving away. His brother Sean has graduated high school and is preparing to leave for college. The childhood world Billy has always counted on is changing faster than he knows how to handle. Even Captain Billy Apollo, his imaginary alter ego and fearless commander of the starship Constellation One, seems to be running out of places to hide. At the shore, Billy finds himself pulled into a new circle of friends, including Frankie, a lonely thirteen-year-old boy carrying a secret he is terrified the world will punish him for, and Jason, a younger kid desperate to belong. What begins as a summer of sunburns, jokes, crushes, arcade games, and ocean air becomes something deeper when old fears, cruel bullies, and dangerous choices threaten the fragile friendships Billy is only beginning to understand. As the hottest months of 1975 unfold against the backdrop of beach-town life, rock music, changing times, and the lingering magic of Billy's imagination, he must learn what growing up really means. It is not about leaving childhood behind all at once. It is about knowing when to stand up. When to forgive. When to protect someone who needs you. And when to love a friend exactly as he is. Shore Leave is a funny, heartfelt YA coming-of-age novel about friendship, courage, first heartbreak, brotherhood, LGBTQ acceptance, and one unforgettable summer at the Jersey Shore. Book Two of The Space Case Chronicles.