This Last Adventure

When Archie’s beloved grandpa is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Archie desperately wants to slow the progression of his grandpa’s memory loss.

Using Grandpa’s old journal entries as inspiration, he creates shared role-playing fantasies with epic quests for them to tackle together—allowing Grandpa to live in the present and stay in touch with his fading memories. But as Grandpa’s condition gradually worsens, Archie must come to terms with what’s happening to his hero. The limits of the fantasies, revelations about Grandpa’s past, and a school project about the future force Archie to grapple with what it truly means to live a life worth remembering.

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“This Last Adventure is a sensitive, touching story that emerges right when this generation of kids needs it. Archie is a funny, awkward, wholly relatable character with big problems, and a bigger imagination. Like Archie, you’ll find yourself rooting for the impossible . . . and dealing with the realization that life is a real adventure and there are no guarantees. How is a book about a boy dealing with his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s disease fun? I’m not sure, but Ryan Dalton has pulled it off! With a family history of the disease, I can’t wait to hand this book to the younglings in my family.”
–Aprilynne Pike, #1 New York Times bestseller of the Wings series

“This Last Adventure has something for everyone: family, friendship, a little bit of fantasy, and a whole lot of heart. I loved it.”
–Dusti Bowling, author of The Canyon’s Edge

“This Last Adventure is a touching story that a lot of young readers will find relatable. As empowering and inspiring as it is heart-wrenching, this book will no doubt comfort kids who are dealing with the emotions and struggles that come with watching an ageing loved one go through changes, whether from Alzheimer’s or another condition.”
—Christina Collins, author of After Zero