Product Description

What do you do when your best friend's girlfriend makes a pass at you?

Erick Rudd isn't sure how it happened -- he did nothing but look. It was Nicki who made the first move. And if that doesn't complicate things enough, Erick is about to get some news that will blow his safe world apart: Pete, his older brother and idol, has fullblown AIDS.

I'm a night kite, Pete once told Erick. I go up in the dark, alone, on my own, and I'm not afraid to be different. Nicki is a night kite, too. Together, she and Pete will teach Erick that sometimes it's best to keep your feet on the ground.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1214899 in Books
• Published on: 1987-09-25
• Released on: 1987-09-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
At 17, Erick Rudd finds that his relatively stable life is turned upside down by two nearly simultaneous events. His best friend Jack's girlfriend Nicki, who's beautiful and flirtatious, makes a play for him. To Nicki, Erick's a challenge; he falls hard for her, but loses his friendship with Jack and his own girlfriend in the process. He also finds out that his older brother Pete is dying of AIDS, which is how he learns that Pete is gay. Through Erick's eyes the reader sees the effect of this shocking news on the Rudd family. Even without having tackled the subject of AIDS, this would have been another fine novel by Kerr: her characterizations are strong and true, and the book's very contemporary references (MTV, Madonna, etc.) will appeal to teens. But it's her sensitive, compassionate treatment of AIDS, and how Erick and his family cope with it, that make this story exceptional, and one of Kerr's most moving yet.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up Kerr's skill at characterization does not fail her in this love/family story. Erick is comfortable with his senior crowd, delighted with his girl Dill and his best friend Jack. But Jack falls for Nikki, an insecure fashion-plate who wants only what she can't have. Erick tries to steer Jack clear of such a troublemaker, so Nikki sets her sights on him next. Complicating his guilt for betraying Jack and Dill by seeing Nikki is Erick's misery over learning that his beloved older brother Pete has AIDS. Thus the horrified family finds out about Pete's imminent death at the same time they find out about his life style. The conflict between the Rudds' former feelings about homosexuality and their love for their son is clear, even in the face of the hostility that Pete's illness causes within their community. The book abounds with endings: the old dog that Pete had slyly named Oscar Wilde must be euthanized; Nikki dumps Erick, just as she discarded all the other boys she captivated. This is not up to the subtlety of Gentlehands (1978), but it does have the romantic complexity of Him She Loves? (1984, both Harper), and Kerr's fans will be passing this around among themselves. Anne Osborn, Riverside Public Library, Calif.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
M.E. Kerr is a winner of the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the 2000 ALAN award from the National Council of Teachers of English. She lives in East Hampton, New York, and remembers clearly the hometown boy who chose not to fight when all the other young men, including her brother, were marching off to war.

Customer Reviews

NIGHT KITES
I thought Night Kites was a good book. I usually do not read books,but this book was good to read. I am glad I readed it. The book was about. Erick liked his best friend's girlfriend and she liked him back. But Erick had a girlfriend too. He broke up with his gf to go out with his friends gf Nikki. That would have made me mad. If a friend did that to me. Erick's brother Pete was gay and got AIDS but did not tell anyone at first. Pete told his mom. He trusted her not to tell anyone. At the end of the book. Erick lost his bestfriend Jack and his new girlfriend Nikki because her father find out that his brother had AIDS and he did not want her around him anymore. YOU SOULD READ THIS BOOK. YOU WOULD REALLY LIKE IT.

I love this book It is a have to read if you like sad books
I just starting reading it and i couldn't put it down! It is the best book for a teenager to read. My teacher told me to read it she said I should get into reading sad stories because thats what she likes. It is the best!

Erick finally learns the true meaning of family being first.
The story "Night Kites" by M.E. Kerr takes place in a small town in New York called Seaville. It is a realistic story but a misadventure at the same time. Erick, the main character is 17 years old and has red hair. He has an older brother called Pete. Erick's girlfriend is Dill, she is a tomboy. jack is Erick's best friend they have been friends since they were young. Jack is 17 as well. His girlfriend is Nicki and she has blond hair, blue eyes and always dresses in seductive clothes. Nicki is a very attractive girl and sometimes it's hard for Erick to take his eyes off her, or is she the one who can't take her eyes of him?

I liked this story a lot. It is very realistic. The author expresses the idea of family being first when they need help and that you should help them because they would be there for you. I recommend this book to teens. I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers since they probably wouldn't understand the story and because of that they wouldn't be able to enjoy the story. If you haven't read the book yet I strongly suggest you start reading it. I give this story "Two spirited thumbs up".