Return to Eastlake – More Small Town Tales, Part 3

 

Here’s one final look at the new novel! As I’ve said before, if you’ve ever lived in a small town, worked at a small school, sang in the church choir, or if you just long for the days when life was that simple, you should enjoy this latest collection of tales.

One of my personal favorite characters from the previous book is Ron Copeland. The high school principal who retires after a long career appears as the main character in three new stories and pops up briefly in a few others in Return to Eastlake.

Law and Order touches on the subject of school discipline and law enforcement, as Copeland deals with a parent who is determined to press charges and involve the local police in a school fight. He also wants the principal to pile on additional punishment as well. It’s a very contemporary problem these days. How much involvement should the police have with school issues? Read this one and see if you agree with Ron or the parent.

In Hammer Time, the stakes are even higher as a local judge insists on Copeland enrolling a student awaiting murder charges. Another favorite character, Amy Davis does her part to make the situation work despite the serious problems it creates. Copeland has to juggle the compassion for one troubled student against the safety of the entire campus.

Shots Fired brings back one of our favorite “villains” from At the Drive-In. Coach Evan Peters wants to “help out” with discipline as he seeks to earn his administrative certification. He quickly stirs up chaos with his aggressive and volatile nature, while Copeland seeks to find a way to reach a difficult and challenging student. If you’ve ever wondered why some kids hate school, here’s a short glimpse.

Finally, all the principals gather at the drive-in to discuss the Dress Code in this short tale about one of the most common frustrations faced by school administrators. See what school administrators really think about all these common trends!

Hopefully, readers will enjoy these small school tales. Perhaps they will remind you of your own school days and bring back some pleasant memories! As always, I encourage you to buy a copy and let me know what you think as you read.