Dirt Bikes, Drones, and Other Ways to Fly

Seventeen-year-old Arlo Santiago lives for the "Drone Zone"--that free, joyful, anti-gravity feeling. He achieves the Zone with risky motorcycle stunts on New Mexico roads, or while playing his favorite video game, Drone Pilot. His gaming skills are so off-the-charts, he's recruited by the U.S. Air Force to remotely operate real-life drones in Pakistan. How can he refuse the paycheck when his little sister's health is at stake? This pull-no-punches novel soars, with poetic style, focus on friends and family, philosophical life-and-death musings, and vividly drawn setting of a land "at the intersection of mesa dust and tractor rust."

But when the video game missions become real-life military operations, where does the game end and the war begin?

• Video Gamer Recruited by Military: Arlo Santiago is the number one ranked player in the combat game Drone Pilot. Now the Air Force wants him to fly the real thing, targeting enemies in Pakistan from a screen in New Mexico.
• High-Stakes Moral Dilemma: What starts as a paycheck to help his sick sister quickly becomes a series of life-and-death choices where the line between right and wrong is blurred by distance.
• Complex Family Drama: In the shadow of his mother's recent death, Arlo must navigate his relationship with his struggling single father and his fierce loyalty to his sister, Siouxsie.
• Action-Packed Teen Adventure: Filled with daredevil motorcycle stunts, fast-paced action, and the vividly drawn landscape of the New Mexico high desert.