Rocket Boys

Homer explains who Quentin is: a pretentious high school classmate of his, who carries a briefcase and reads books constantly. Quentin has no friends, but Homer senses that he’s a genius—he gets perfect scores on every test he takes.

One day, Homer approaches Quentin in class, and asks him if he knows anything about rockets. Quentin smirks, and replies that he knows everything about rockets. He promises to help Homer, on the condition that he can join Homer’s team. He explains that he can’t build a rocket on his own, since he lacks both the necessary supplies (supplies which Homer can obtain easily, since his father is a superintendent), and the proper leadership qualities. Homer and Quentin agree to build rockets together.

Quentin tells Homer about the history of rockets: the Chinese invented them, and they were used in various 19th century wars. Noted rocket scientists include Wernher von Braun and Robert Goddard. The fundamental principle of the rocket is Newton’s Third Law: for every action, there is an equal an opposite reaction. Potential rocket fuels include saltpeter and gunpowder. One way to make rocket fuel is to mix saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal.

Homer leaves Quentin and joins his friends, who demand to know why he was talking with Quentin. Roy Lee insists that Homer will never have a chance with Dorothy if he’s seen with Quentin, and threatens to ask Dorothy out if Homer doesn’t soon. Inspired by this threat, Homer chases after Dorothy, and asks her, point blank, to accompany him to a dance. Dorothy explains that she has plans, but that she’d like to study biology with him. Homer is happy with this news, although it occurs to him that Dorothy’s “plans” on Saturday are probably with another boy.

Homer describes the Big Store: there are groceries, radios, musical instruments, candy, and hundreds of other supplies. Homer goes to the Big Store in search of rocket fuel. He asks the clerk at the Big Store, Junior, about saltpeter—Junior is surprised, but he gives Homer what he wants: sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter. He warns Homer about the dangers of saltpeter.

As Homer leaves the Big Store, he sees John Dubonnet. John knows that Homer has plans to build another rocket, and seems proud of Homer for being ambitious and trying to leave Coalwood. John explains to Homer that in a few years, Coalwood will be no more—Homer Sr. seems to be the only one in Coalwood who doesn’t know this. With this, he says goodbye and walks away.

On Saturday, Quentin goes to Homer’s house. Outside, by the coal furnace, they experiment with different proportions of rocket fuel. After they’ve “cooked” each batch of fuel, they test it by throwing it into water. They test the two fuels that produce the most bubbles. To do so, they saw off lengths of an old broom handle and glue small fins to these pieces.

Quentin and Homer join Roy Lee to test their new rockets. They go to the creek near Homer’s house where they know they won’t be seen. The first rocket fizzles up and melts when Homer ignites it. The second blows up, throwing shrapnel everywhere. Homer Sr. notices this, and yells at Homer for pursuing his rockets. Elsie jumps in and, with a small smile, tells Homer to find a better place for his experiments. Quentin and Roy leave the house. Before he goes, Quentin notes that this was an important day: the first rocket had too little fuel, and the second had too much. Now they’ll have a better idea of how much fuel to use.

It is Sunday, and Homer has gone to Dorothy’s house to study with her. Dorothy is eager to hear about Homer’s rockets. She believes him when he says he’ll work with Wernher von Braun one day, and she explains that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. She adds that she finds Homer much more interesting than Jim—an observation that brightens up Homer immediately. The rest of the “study session” passes uneventfully, with Homer and Dorothy talking about their families.

The next day at school, Homer resolves to ask Dorothy out. When he approaches her, however, he’s horrified to see her making weekend plans with another boy.