The New Prosperity Museum — Edward Averett

Henry James George just wants a regular Boomer life. But it's simply not in the cards. At three years old, a strange force tries to steal him from the family car; it is his first introduction to the power of Skookumchuck. At age seven, his close friend disappears while the two are on a hike and Henry is accused of murder. His life is headed for no good until he realizes he can cure people by reading to them. He is convinced this gift will change his fortunes. But he soon learns that with each cure, he loses a little of his life's spirit so that eventually he must decide to let his gift go. But while the folks around him go to war, develop technology that makes them rich, and figure out their places in the world, Henry languishes in a life half-lived. His redemption comes in the form of The New Prosperity Museum, a backroads museum hidden in a red cedar forest housing the relics of post-World War II America. Here Henry learns to love and curate not only the artifacts on display, but his own topsy-turvy existence until the day comes when he must decide to safe his best friend's life or lose his own.