Jonathan Quail is a twelve-year-old boy living with his parents, a younger sister, and a baby brother until the day that his father is killed when he leaves the city bus that he drives to protect a woman from an abusive man. Jonathan's mother is unable to cope both financially and emotionally with the loss of her husband and the responsibilities of raising her three children. Jon and his sister and brother are placed in a foster home by the child protection agency. Readers will be able to relate to the challenges that Jonathan faces as he journeys from biological home to foster home to group homes. He finds both assistance and resistance from new schools and classmates, and from new surrogate parents and siblings. His self confidence and coping skills are strengthened through his encounters with peers and from the encouragement and guidance provided by his various caretakers. As he matures, he also finds solace and excitement from building relationships with girls his age. 'Climbing The Ropes' was written to provide insight and hope to a young boy who was encountering similar experiences to Jonathan's. Consequently, young people who are involved with the various child protection and probation agencies as well as children who reside with their biological parents will find valuable understanding about improving their interpersonal relationships, and an appreciation for the frustration and satisfaction experienced by the youth workers who daily strive to provide love, structure, and guidance to children in their care. Mr. Read currently lives in a small town in Pennsylvania where he and his wife raised two daughters who are now professional women. After graduating from Bucknell University with a B.A. in English, he spent two years teaching high school math and English with the Peace Corps in Eritrea. He worked for twenty-five years as a high school counselor and basketball coach, and five years counseling sexually abused children and their families.
About the Author: Richard Read attended Bucknell University and graduated with a B.A. in English. He also participated as a distance runner on the B.U. track team and served as president of his fraternity. He worked for one year in New York City before teaching with the Peace Corps in Ethiopia/Eritrea. Upon returning to the U.S., he did mental health counseling in Erie, PA. and then spent twenty-five years as a school counselor in Corry, PA. He also coached boys and girls high school basketball and administrated an adult basic education program. When he retired, he worked part-time as a family counselor with sexually abused children. He and his wife, Maria, raised two daughters who are now professional women. In addition to his fictional writing, Mr. Read enjoys visiting his grandchildren, training with a running club, competing in road races and sprint-triathlons, and playing basketball with the current teaching staff at Corry High School.