After being expelled, Joey is sent to the country to help an old man. Will it turn his life around or will
his past follow him?
Joey is sent to the country where his phone won’t work, he’ll be far away from his buddies, and has to
live with his great-aunt. His mother must be nuts if she thinks he’ll go.
But there isn’t any choice. This is the third school he’s been asked to leave. For fighting. Which is
stupid because he doesn’t fight. It’s an unfortunate case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Sure, he disrupts every class he attends—a skill he’s proud of. Or at least he pretends to be proud of.
He has to disrupt them to keep everyone from realizing he can’t read.
But it turns out that Auntie Belle is not so old and not so bad, and when she asks him to help out a
neighbor who’s recovering from a bad accident, Joey finds a world he can understand.
Young Harry has horses and dogs and a bull. And he has a garden that produces more food than Joey
has seen in the city supermarket. It looks like Young Harry will become his new best friend—better
than the ones he hung out with on the streets in the city.
Young Harry is eighty-five years old. He doesn’t have a phone either—or anything else from the
21st century. But even without electricity and the internet, Joey has never felt more at home. He likes
the trust Harry has in him, hopes to join the local football team and he enjoys going for rides with
Emily, the girl who looks after Harry’s horses.
But that’s until the break-ins start. Robbie, who thinks Emily is his girl, points the finger of blame at
Joey and the locals turn against him. And when one of his friends from the city is revealed as the
culprit, he wants to recruit Joey in his break and enters.
After all, he can’t change who he is, can he? And the locals will never accept him as one of them.
Or will they? And will Joey betray Young Harry?
Last Chance Joey is a great read for every kid who struggles to find acceptance and their place in the
world. Joey finds not only somewhere that he belongs, but also the courage to stand up for what’s
important to him and the people he cares about.
South Australian author Meredith Resce has been writing since 1991 and has had books in the
Australian market since 1997. Following the Australian success of her Heart of Green Valley series, they were released in the UK. Last Chance Joey is Meredith’s 30th published title—her first targeted young adult novel.
Apart from writing, Meredith teaches high school students. She is an avid reader, particularly Christian fiction. She is a fan of British costume-drama television series, and British murder mystery shows. Jane Austen, LM Montgomery and Charles Dickens are favorite classic authors. Meredith is a country girl at heart, and takes every opportunity to visit the farm where she grew up. Aussie Rules football and cricket are her choice when following televised sport. Meredith often speaks to groups on issues relevant to relationships and emotional and spiritual growth.
Meredith was also co-writer and co-producer of the 2007 feature film Twin Rivers, now available on Amazon Prime. Meredith has worked in Christian ministry with her husband Nick since 1983. Meredith and Nick have three adult children.
