A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year: "An utterly disarming, believable portrait of a small-town adolescent."— The New York Times  An ALA Best Book for Young Adults One of New York Public Library's Books for the Teen-Age An American Book Award Nominee   Tex McCormick, fifteen, is happy—happy living in a small town in Oklahoma; happy living with his big brother Mason; and especially happy to live next door to his best friend Johnny, and Johnny's sister Jamie. But with money running out and no sign of Pop for months on end, Mason is getting nervous. He's talking about leaving Oklahoma too, for good. Feeling adrift, Tex goes looking for—and finds—trouble. When happiness is impossible to find, how will Tex keep himself and his family together?   This classic by the author of The Outsiders and Rumble Fish explores the true meanings of strength and vulnerability.   "In Tex, the raw energy for which Hinton has justifiably reaped praise has not been tamed—it's been cultivated, and the result is a fine, solidly constructed, and well-paced story."— School Library Journal