Getaway Day

Mikey Wright is a normal 13-year-old. With normal problems. Until the day he finds out his dad has cancer. Convinced it's his fault because of all the stupid things he's done, and continues to do, he vows to do something to make his father better. And that something involves baseball, since his dad played in the Marines and then some semi-pro. It also involves Mickey Mantle, since that's his dad's all-time favorite player. Mikey comes up with a plan to arrange for his dad to play catch...
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Mikey Wright is a normal 13-year-old. With normal problems. Until the day he finds out his dad has cancer. Convinced it's his fault because of all the stupid things he's done, and continues to do, he vows to do something to make his father better. And that something involves baseball, since his dad played in the Marines and then some semi-pro. It also involves Mickey Mantle, since that's his dad's all-time favorite player. Mikey comes up with a plan to arrange for his dad to play catch with his idol. There's one problem. They live in Modesto, California, and Mickey plays for the New York Yankees. His journey to help his father takes him from the safety and security of his home town to Anaheim, Chicago, and back down Route 66. Along the way, he's helped by some ordinary and extraordinary folks. Each one has something to teach Mikey about fathers and sons, growing up, family, and home. His efforts are thwarted at every turn, often by injuries to, and bad judgment by, the Commerce Comet himself. Until Mother Nature steps up to the plate. When a freak storm deluges the Bay Area and forces postponement of the 1962 World Series and makes it impossible to practice in nearby San Francisco, the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants make arrangements to work out in nearby Modesto. Mikey is inches from making his father's dream come true when an encounter with his high school arch-nemesis ruins it all. In the end, Mikey learns what it means to be selfless, to think about others before himself, and to never stop believing. He discovers that expectations aren't real, loneliness is absolute, change is inevitable, and laughter is essential. Ultimately, he learns that growing up means letting go. What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others is, and remains, immortal.