A group of boys endure a small town culture war instigated by a local pastor. Their aspirations and goals are threatened by the crazy behavior of the adults around them.

Alternate Quick Summary:

It is often the case that children have a firmer grasp of reality than many of the adults who are supposed to look out for their welfare. In this story a group of boys must deal with an overly zealous local pastor who wants to cancel an event they are looking forward to. They also have to put up with a school counselor who believes every poorly constructed study published by so-called mental health authorities. Will the boys be able to endure all the crazy behavior of these two pillars of the community or will insanity prevail?

     Religious people can be quite aggressive about imposing the restrictions on behavior defined by their religion on others. Typically this is done by changing public policy and creating laws and ordinances that are in harmony with religious doctrine. Pastor John has a clear vision of how he'd like to shape the town of Liberty. In fact, he is quite persuasive and is able to gain many allies who support the changes he would like to bring about. However, not everyone is okay with his plans. In fact, the group of boys who are the protagonists of this story are quite apprehensive about the pastor's agenda. They enjoy violent video games and other activities that are disapproved of by the pastor.

     The religious orthodoxy of the pastor becomes coupled with the political correctness of a newly appointed school administrator, Mr. Stewart, to create an even more restrictive atmosphere at the local school. Mr. Stewart has some peculiar beliefs about what he calls Best Practices. He draws heavily on bogus and agenda-driven research to attempt to convince teachers that he knows how they should teach and to instruct parents on how to bring up their children. Between the religious orthodoxy of Pastor Wilson and the social orthodoxy of Mr. Stewart, it looks as if the town will be turned around and put on a straight and narrow path early in the book. The boys soon realize that all their fun will come to an end if these two tyrrants have their way!

     Does the town stand idly by as Pastor Wilson and Mr. Stewart impose their narrow orthodoxies on its citizens? Do the boys miss out on the fun of life as the town transforms into a haven of perpetual pruddishness? Or do the two would-be party poopers self-distruct as they push too hard to rob townspeople of the joy of life. Safety, piety, and religious dogma are all fine and good if individuals are free to accept or reject them, but when imposed, they rob people of their liberty and without liberty, life is just dull and pointless. Besides, the name of the town in the book is Libery and with a name like Liberty, the town has something to live up to!