Reaching Dustin

Almost everyone in Carly Cameron's small Missouri farming community hates and fears the Groats -- a gun-toting, law-breaking clan that lives on the edge of town. So when Carly draws Dustin Groat's name for a class interview assignment, she feels like screaming. At first, Dustin doesn't seem to be any better than the rest of his family. But as Carly learns about his background -- and pieces together the tragic truth about his mother -- she realizes there's more to Dustin than she or anyone else in her community had ever imagined.

Carly wants, more than anything, to be the 6th grade class editor and regain "equal" status with her two popular best friends. When she finds out that she has to interview Dustin Groat to do so, she wants to scream. There's nothing that a dirty, grungy outcast can or will tell her about his life... or is there? With some urging from her loving family, Carly finally tries walking in Dustin's shoes, and the shocking results irrevocably change her view of what's worth fighting for.