Lake Wobegon Summer 1956

"He has never so much as kissed a girl, except his rebellious cousin Kate, a sophisticate of seventeen who knows about The New Yorker and also how to swear and exhale smoke through her nose. He feels lost when she falls for a heroic southpaw pitcher named Roger Guppy. But this is the summer when things change. Gary comes into possession of an Underwood typewriter. He fights back against his bullying born-again sister and his tyrannical teacher.