Thunderbottom (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798284568118)

Dwayne Thunderbottom's name was a punchline. "Fart Boy." "Gassy Pants." "Thunderbutt." For eighteen years, he'd slouched through the halls of Amarillo High, his sneakers scuffing floors stained with spitballs and shame. But everything changes when a dusty library book reveals a secret: Dwayne is descended from the Meherrin Tribe-warriors, survivors, and guardians of sacred Virginia land.

After graduation, Dwayne trades Texas dust storms for misty Appalachian forests, driving east in a rattling pickup truck. What awaits him? A reservation where pine trees whisper ancient stories, fry bread sizzles on open grills, and elders like Marlene TallTree-her silver braids woven with eagle feathers-greet him with a bone-crushing hug. But when Dwayne touches a faded tribal drum, his mind explodes with visions: a 1700s Meherrin girl outsmarting redcoat soldiers, a medicine woman healing settlers with moonlit herbs, a chief with Dwayne's same stubborn chin.

Then comes the shock: the tribe crowns Dwayne their honorary chief. Suddenly, the boy who hid from bullies is posing for cameras in a feathered headdress, leading protests against bulldozers hungry to devour Meherrin land. But as developers circle and old enemies resurface, Dwayne must decide: Is he a joke... or the thunderous voice his ancestors need?

Packed with time-travel twists, heart-pounding protests, and a dash of fry-bread magic, Thunderbottom is a story about reclaiming your name-and roaring it to the world.