Long Gone Daddy — Helen Hemphill

The first time fourteen-year-old Harlan Q met his grandfather, he was laid up on a porcelain prep table at the local funeral home with a grin on his face -- like he was getting the last laugh. His will leaves a chunk of money and a Cadillac convertible. The catch? His body must be buried in Las Vegas. With little money, Harlan Q convinces his Bible-thumping father to load the corpse in the back of their station wagon and take the road-trip to honor his grandfather's wishes. Along the way they pick up Warrior, a Hollywood-bound, Zen-minded actor-in-training. He surprisingly helps Harlan begin to understand his thoughts and life -- separate from the thinking of his father -- during a covert stop at his late grandfather's bar, Long Gone Daddy's.