Rocket Boys begins with a brief introduction to Coalwood and a quick explanation of Sonny's life up to that point. Homer is 15 years old at the start of the book. He has just started high school, and Sputnik (the first artificial satellite in history) has just been launched by the russians. Homer hears a radio announcement saying that Sputnik will be flying over Coalwood one day, and when he sees it his fascination with rockets begins.
Sonny and his friends Quinten, Roy Lee, O'dell, Sherman, and Billy, start building rockets soon after seeing Sputnik. Their first rocket is primitive looking back on it after their success, it is simply a empty flashlight that has been filled with powder from fireworks, and it blows up without going an inch in the air.
The boys begin to treat rocket building scientifically, making small changes to each rocket to see how it affects the flight of the rocket. Their early rockets go off course, hit buildings, and get them in trouble. As they go on, they slowly figure out their mistakes and create functioning rockets. They begin to receive the support of many people around town, who are rooting for them to succeed.
The Boys get the help of many people at the mine, with the exception of Homer. The mechanics at the mine workshop build the rocket bodies for Sonny and his friends, and make some helpful suggestions. The boys are making progress, but they soon realize their is only so much they can accomplish without the proper knowledge of rockets and rocket flight. They scour the county for a book on rockets, but are unable to find any such thing.
Their science teacher, Ms. Riley, buys a rocket book for them and gives it to them as a surprise present. From the book, the boys learn the calculous and trigonometry behind the nozzle design (previously they hadn't used a nozzle, which is a vital part of rocket flight), predicted hight of a rocket, the body of a rocket, and the actual hight the rocket flew.
With this new book on rockets, the boys make impressive progress and gain much needed knowledge. Their new knowledge leads them to enter the county science fair, which has never been one by a Big Creek Student. The boys aren't confident that they will win, but are just happy that they have a chance to show the county what Big Creek boys can do. In what is the climax when reading the book, the boys win the science fair against all odds.
After winning the county science fair, the boys rocket project goes on to win the state science fair. After winning at the state science fair, Sonny takes their project the national science fair (they can only afford for one of the boys to go). At the national science fair, a day before Sonny presents to the judges, all of his rocket nozzles are stolen. Sonny calls home, and is shocked when he later finds out that his dad did a lot of work to ensure that new nozzles would be made and sent to Sonny in time. The nozzles arrive just an hour before Sonny presents. Sonny impresses the judges with his vast knowledge of rockets, which was gained through the three years he struggled to build a rocket. Sonny wins first place in the propulsion category, and all of the boys are offered college scholarships. Oddly enough, the excitement experienced after winning prizes at the state and national level is not as much as the first fair they won.
When Sonny gets back from the national science fair, he is treated like a celebrity in town. The boys have six rockets left, so they put an add in the paper telling everybody who wants to come and see them launch the rockets when and where to go. they expect a hundred or so people to show up, but are shocked when almost every person in the county shows up. The crowd roars as they launch each rocket. Just before they launch their last rocket, the best they will make as the rocket boys, Homer shows up. Sonny asks Homer to hit the launch switch for them and Homer agrees. The last rocket goes about 30,000 feet high, and while it is flying Homer puts his arm around Sonny, and they both share in the joy of the flight. When Homer sees the rocket fly, Sonny knows that he has finally made his father proud, just as the novel ends.
Sonny and his friends Quinten, Roy Lee, O'dell, Sherman, and Billy, start building rockets soon after seeing Sputnik. Their first rocket is primitive looking back on it after their success, it is simply a empty flashlight that has been filled with powder from fireworks, and it blows up without going an inch in the air.
The boys begin to treat rocket building scientifically, making small changes to each rocket to see how it affects the flight of the rocket. Their early rockets go off course, hit buildings, and get them in trouble. As they go on, they slowly figure out their mistakes and create functioning rockets. They begin to receive the support of many people around town, who are rooting for them to succeed.
The Boys get the help of many people at the mine, with the exception of Homer. The mechanics at the mine workshop build the rocket bodies for Sonny and his friends, and make some helpful suggestions. The boys are making progress, but they soon realize their is only so much they can accomplish without the proper knowledge of rockets and rocket flight. They scour the county for a book on rockets, but are unable to find any such thing.
Their science teacher, Ms. Riley, buys a rocket book for them and gives it to them as a surprise present. From the book, the boys learn the calculous and trigonometry behind the nozzle design (previously they hadn't used a nozzle, which is a vital part of rocket flight), predicted hight of a rocket, the body of a rocket, and the actual hight the rocket flew.
With this new book on rockets, the boys make impressive progress and gain much needed knowledge. Their new knowledge leads them to enter the county science fair, which has never been one by a Big Creek Student. The boys aren't confident that they will win, but are just happy that they have a chance to show the county what Big Creek boys can do. In what is the climax when reading the book, the boys win the science fair against all odds.
After winning the county science fair, the boys rocket project goes on to win the state science fair. After winning at the state science fair, Sonny takes their project the national science fair (they can only afford for one of the boys to go). At the national science fair, a day before Sonny presents to the judges, all of his rocket nozzles are stolen. Sonny calls home, and is shocked when he later finds out that his dad did a lot of work to ensure that new nozzles would be made and sent to Sonny in time. The nozzles arrive just an hour before Sonny presents. Sonny impresses the judges with his vast knowledge of rockets, which was gained through the three years he struggled to build a rocket. Sonny wins first place in the propulsion category, and all of the boys are offered college scholarships. Oddly enough, the excitement experienced after winning prizes at the state and national level is not as much as the first fair they won.
When Sonny gets back from the national science fair, he is treated like a celebrity in town. The boys have six rockets left, so they put an add in the paper telling everybody who wants to come and see them launch the rockets when and where to go. they expect a hundred or so people to show up, but are shocked when almost every person in the county shows up. The crowd roars as they launch each rocket. Just before they launch their last rocket, the best they will make as the rocket boys, Homer shows up. Sonny asks Homer to hit the launch switch for them and Homer agrees. The last rocket goes about 30,000 feet high, and while it is flying Homer puts his arm around Sonny, and they both share in the joy of the flight. When Homer sees the rocket fly, Sonny knows that he has finally made his father proud, just as the novel ends.