"...a vivid portrait of a young boy coming of age in a world overshadowed by war." — Authors Reading

WOODINVILLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES, September 3, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Mock air raids, fake cities, bomb shelters, and rationing come to life with David Scott Richardson’s stirring new MG/YA historical adventure, available now.

Fifteen-year-old Scotty Johannsen comes of age in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood during WWII, when bomb shelters have become a way of life and air sirens regularly blare, reminding him that everyone he loves might be obliterated at any moment. A firebug soon rocks the neighborhood, setting fires during the mandatory blackouts. With deepening apprehensions, Scotty gets swept up in the mystery, risks betrayal of his draft-age brother, and becomes mired in an ethical thicket while playing detective with his friends.

Literary Titan says, “Richardson masterfully portrays the day-to-day life of a teenager in 1943, blending humor and warmth with the serious issues of the era.” Chanticleer Book Reviews says, “Richardson’s characters leap off the page and will capture the hearts of all who enjoy a fast-paced historical war story about a struggling family and the boy who helps save his neighborhood.” “Most remarkable,” BookLife reports, “are the novel’s nuanced responses to the war, from heroic to pacifist, delivered in a non-judgmental and empathetic way, providing its intended young audience with a means of forming their own opinions.”

Because his father was killed in WWII, Richardson has had a life-long interest in the war. His reflections and research eventually became a vehicle to portray the home front in a way most young readers hadn’t been exposed to. As a former sixth-grade teacher, he understands how inadequate we are at teaching civics and history, especially to young people, hence teenage readers became his target audience. His themes probe father-son conflicts, grief, and ethical dilemmas, all while invoking an innate connection with nature, compelling the heart as much as the mind.

An Empty House Doesn’t Sneeze follows Richardson’s debut novel—River’s Reach: Coming of Age Amid the Fish War—an MG/YA adventure that spotlights the tensions between the Washington State Game Department and the Nisqually Indians over tribal fishing rights in the Nisqually Valley.

An Empty House Doesn’t Sneeze is now available wherever you buy books. A full synopsis is included in the Media Kit, and hashtag #AnEmptyHouseDoesntSneeze chronicles the novel's relevant historical framework. Review copies are available upon request.

David Scott Richardson
David Scott Richardson
AuthorDavidScottRichardson@gmail.com
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