The Art of Keeping Cool

A boy uncovers family secrets amid wartime fears and rising tensions in a coastal town.

3.7/5 Goodreads · 951 ratings

260 pages

$7.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

In a tense Rhode Island town, young Robert grapples with fear: Nazi threats, a reclusive artist, and his domineering grandfather. As hostility grows, Robert worries about his cousin Elliot's bond with the artist and a hidden family secret tied to his father, a pilot in Europe. Can Robert navigate the turmoil and uncover the truth before prejudice turns to violence?

From the publisher

Fear permeates the Rhode Island coastal town where Robert, his mother, and sister are living out the war with his paternal grandparents: Fear of Nazi submarines offshore. Fear of Abel Hoffman, a German artist living reclusively outside of town. And for Robert, a more personal fear, of his hot-tempered, controlling grandfather. As Robert watches the townspeople’s hostility toward Hoffman build, he worries about his sensitive cousin Elliot’s friendship with the artist. And he wonders more and more about the family secret everyone seems to be keeping from him—a secret involving Robert’s father, a bomber pilot in Europe. Will Elliot’s ability to detach himself from the turmoil around him be enough to sustain him when prejudice and suspicions erupt into violence? And can Robert find his own way to deal with the shocking truth about his family’s past?

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