Charlie Law is a pretty likable young man. He knows he is a nerd, but that doesn’t stop him from never being late for school, enjoying reading, and being a nice guy. He lives in Little Town, a fictitious place that is in the shadow of Old Country, a neighboring country with its own form of government that the people of Little Town fear.
Enter Pav and his family, refugees from Old Country who move into the apartment next door. Charlie is hesitant at first, but ultimately befriends Pav and decides that he is going to help him learn the lingo of Little Town to help him acclimate once school starts at the end of summer. Things are going fine for the boys as they clean out a shed, hoping to acquire some furniture so they can have a special place just for themselves, when the ever-present threat of and Old Country invasion comes to fruition.
Hiding under a blanket, sandwiched between his parents as bombs are dropped on Little Town, all Charlie can think about is the time he is missing with Pav and his lingo lessons in the shed and that Erin F, his long-time crush, might not ever be able to come to the shed. Once the bombs stop they discover that most of Little Town is in ruins and there are Old Country soldiers walking the streets.
Conaghan has created a novel about survival, friendship, and prejudices that really questions our differences and the extent we are willing to go for family and friends. There is plenty of swearing and scenes where people are beat up pretty badly. Overall this was an enjoyable read with a likable male protagonist.