Charlie Han wishes more than anything that he was bigger. Being the tiniest kid in his school and living in an apartment connected to the Chinese takeout his parents own, isn't winning him any popularity with the rest of his peers. In fact he is the target for most of the jokes and a fair amount of the torture dreamed up by the cool kids. That well-known phrase "good things come in small packages" doesn't offer even a tiny bit of comfort.
Too make matters worse, Charlie's mother wins first prize for being over-protective. She doesn't let him step out on the street without endless warnings and whatever protective gear she can dream up. She finally lets him make deliveries for the takeout, but he has to use a clunky, old three wheel bike with a huge basket. It barely moves and isn't cool at all.
When Charlie discovers a hidden love for skateboarding, he knows he must keep it a secret from his mother. He begins to think this danger-filled sport might be his special something. He even earns a bit of respect from the other skaters at the skate park, that is until the day his mother shows up and terrorizes everyone within the sound of her extremely loud voice.
Charlie believes his hopes and dreams of becoming an awesome skater are over, but then he discovers a secret his mother has that might be just the thing to force her to allow him to return to the half pipe and his dreams.
Author Phil Earle captures Charlie and the other quirky characters perfectly. Humor and candid dialogue make THE BUBBLE WRAP BOY a wicked good read. Earle proves that friendship, love, and family can make dreams come true.
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