• Publication Season/Year: Summer 2009
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Release Date: June 11, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-399-25189-4
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

“When the railroad’s in your blood, it draws you like a pump draws water from the ground.”

Meet a town and a train and a time and a boy – Jimmy Cannon.  And meet his father – as strong as a Mallet locomotive – whom Jimmy simply cannot figure out!  But who, in a dramatic and breathtaking twist, turns out to be so much more than Jimmy ever knew.

In a book that goes to the core of boyhood – its Halloween mischief, its hunting day mystery, its championship game surprise, and nighttime adventures – Fran Cannon Slayton brings her readers to the exhilarating crossroads of an unforgettable West Virginia railroad town and adulthood itself.

Early Praise for When the Whistle Blows:

“When the Whistle Blows is reminiscent of classic tales by Jack London, William Golding and Robert Louis Stevenson, yet carries the remarkable, fresh voice of its author. Fran Cannon Slayton should be extremely proud of this, her debut novel.” —Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank and Identical and National Book Award finalist

“With wit and warmth Fran Cannon Slayton recounts a steam-driven coming of age story in the last of the real railroad days.” —Richard Peck, author of A Year Down Yonder

“I loved When the Whistle Blows.” —Barbara Keifer, Charlotte S. Huck Professor of Children’s Literature at Ohio State University

“A highly engaging, well-written, really good read.” —Dr. Joel Taxel, University of Georgia, Department of Language and Literary Education

“From its whip-smart opening to its look at the complexity of father/son relationships, Slayton’s loving novel takes a long hard look at the death of people and that intangible idea of ‘home’ . . . ‘When the Whistle Blows’ stopped me in my tracks.” —Elizabeth Bird, A Fuse #8 Production (School Library Journal)

When the Whistle Blows is now available for pre-order at Borders, Amazon, and Your Local Indie Store online!

About the Author

Fran Cannon Slayton spent her childhood growing up in Manassas and Haymarket, Virginia. She was a mean unicycle rider and pogo stick hopper, and prided herself as an all-around terror on the kickball field. Other favorite pastimes included exploding caps (with or without the use of a magnifying glass), catching salamanders with her bare hands, and using them as bait when she went fishing.  Read more about how to book or contact Fran Slayton.