Taco Night and the Little Old Lady

In the run-down orphanage known as Boys Hall, 4th grader Chip Rock is handed a daunting task: go downtown, alone, and pay a visit to Mrs. Carruthers, a 75-year-old sourpuss and total stranger. Help her write a letter. There they sit, like two dogs sniffing each other. It's a neighborly assignment but Chip never expected a stinky house, a bad attitude and four-letter words that fly like hornets. As the frightened orphan meets a crabby loner, Chip learns the job has nothing to do with letters or community service. Old Mrs. Carruthers has something entirely different in mind.

The world looks different to a child. At its core, TACO NIGHT and the LITTLE OLD LADY is a simple straightforward story told through the wondering and wandering eyes of a nine-year-old orphan. TACO NIGHT portrays the permanent adolescence in all of us, and how the smallest details in a life mean the world to a nine-year-old, and maybe to a 75-year-old woman as well. Chip tries to keep a joyful attitude, but it isn't easy. While humor and dignity echo in the fringes, and leak in when least expected, it's always tough going. Can a forgotten recluse teach Chip about the magic of aging, or will he watch the unraveling of a long-suffering soul?

TACO NIGHT chronicles Chip's 4th grade summer, with its magic and disruption. It's the start of Michael Daswick's No Palms trilogy, taking place several years before CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART (Amazon #1) and the finale, CHIP ROCK and the CATALINA KID. The importance of the underdog and fractured families bloom as Chip and his mates always fight for a place in their world. Dire situations lead to shocking decisions, heroic choices, and unexpected results.