Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2004 10:52:21 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel- book 9, background
TCH BACKGROUND INFORMATION - Book 9
Seeing The Castaway Hotel has grown into a complex, multi-book series, I
thought that I should add this to help you keep track of the characters. I
will list the boys in the order they came into the story, give some vital
statistics about them (as of the beginning of book 9), and a brief summary
about how they came to be. I have also included the Book and chapter
number when that character was introduced. I will also list other
characters, who have also been included in the story, at the end. I hope
this helps you follow the story better.
Josh Currie - A 53 year old widower (August 18) (47 at the beginning of
book 1) with four grown children, who decides to take in foster boys, to
help make their lives better.
Ricky (Richard Allen Glover Currie) - 18 yo (July 7) college sophomore - 5'
9" tall, longish blond hair and gray eyes, cut, and currently dating girls,
though he doesn't mind a little fun with his brothers. Ricky came to Josh
as a 7th grade hyperactive, behavioral problem, whose drug addicted mother
had died, his father was unknown, and he had no other family. He was an
exchange student in Australia in book 6. (Book 1, chapter 1)
Danny (Daniel Edward Roma Currie) - 20 yo (May 6) college junior - 6' 1"
tall, brown hair and brown eyes. cut, athletic build, and currently dating
his best friend Brandon. Danny was Josh's second son; he was 13 at the
time and kicked out of his home by his parents (mostly his father) when
they discovered he was gay. Danny has since reconciled with his mother.
(Book 1, chapter 3)
Brandon (Brandon Patrick O'Hara) - 20 yo (March 4) college junior - Danny's
best friend and boyfriend - 6' 2" tall, blond hair, brown eyes, and cut.
He is slender, but not thin. He came to live with the Curries so he could
finish school in Pennsylvania, as his father took a new job in Texas.
(Book 1, chapter 6)
Jay (Jay Curtis) - Ricky's best friend - 19 yo (June 10) college sophomore
- Jay is 5' 10" tall, has red hair and green eyes and is uncut. He was
lanky (ungraceful and thin) when younger, but is filling out and his
coordination is catching up to him, as he has gotten older. Jay is also
dating a girl. (Book 1, chapter 8)
Dustin (Dustin Mathew Kowalski Currie) - 21 yo (April 27) college senior -
6' 0" tall, black hair, green eyes, and cut. Solid build, but not fat.
Dustin was thrown out of previous foster home because he was caught in a
homosexual act with foster parents' son. He is bisexual, once being with
Kevin, but now he's dating girls. (Book 1, chapter 13)
Kevin (Kevin Michael Baxter Currie) - 19 yo (August 8) college junior - 5'
11" tall, longish brown hair, blue eyes, and uncut. Slender, swimmer's
build. Kevin was the son of the foster parents Dustin was fooling around
with. Father beat him up after he threw Dustin out and Kevin ran away. He
was heartbroken when Dustin decided to date girls, but he then went with
Nick, who had trouble being faithful, and then Brent, who was killed in a
vehicular accident. He is now with Vinnie. (Book 1, chapter 14)
Cole (Cole David VanCott Currie) - 18 yo (October 22) graduated high school
and is working - 5' 9" tall, blond hair, brown eyes and cut. Cole and his
brother, Graham, were found abandoned and malnourished. They were taken
from their home and placed with Josh. He and his brother have also started
to see their biological mother again. (Book 1, chapter 16)
Graham (Graham Thomas VanCott Currie) - 17 yo (March 10) senior - 5' 7 1/2"
tall, brown hair, brown eyes, and uncut. Cole's brother and also
malnourished when he came to live at the Currie household. Graham also has
a very special gift, in which he can foresee certain things happening, and
he can communicate with the dead. He and his brother have also started to
see their biological mother again. (Book 1, chapter 16)
Pat (Patrick Alan Murray Currie) - 19 yo (May 28) college sophomore - 5'
10" tall, dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and cut. Solid build. Pat never
had a stable home life, being raised by several different relatives and
moving around frequently. This caused him to have problems in school. He
had gotten into a minor scrape with the law, and Judge Shay asked Josh to
take him in. Pat was attached to Carlos for a while, but now he's dating a
girl. He is bi. Lost his eyesight in an accident at school, but can now
see out of one eye. (Book 2, chapter 1)
Trey (Alexander Michael Daniels III Currie) - 18 yo (February 16) college
freshman - 5' 9 1/2" tall, brown hair, brown eyes, and uncut. He's
slender, shy, a bit effeminate, and an avid reader. Trey was an orphan, as
his parents and sister were killed in an explosion at his house while he
was away. Trey and Dion are now boyfriends. Trey has also won some
writing awards in high school. (Book 2, chapter 4)
Frankie (Franklin Albert Hopkins) - 20 yo (July 30) graduated college with
a 2-year degree in criminal justice and is in the army now - 5' 11" tall,
black hair, brown eyes, and cut. He has broad shoulders and a solid build.
Frankie came as a result of getting into trouble and at the request of
Judge Shay. There were several problems and Frankie was taken away, but he
came back and was given a second chance by the Curries. Frankie is
straight and dating a girl. (Book 2, chapter 9 and Book 3, chapter 20)
Sammy (Tsukimo Yamada Currie) - 16 yo (June 1) junior - 5' 5" tall, black
hair, black eyes, and uncut. He is small for his age. Sammy and his
brother, Andrew, came to live with the Curries after the family read that
his Japanese father had shot his American wife and then killed himself.
The boys only had their Japanese grandparents, who decided they were better
off with the Curries. (Book 2, chapter 14)
Andrew (Furuhata Yamada Currie) - 13 yo (September 12) freshman - 4' 9"
tall, black hair, black eyes, and uncut. He is also small for his age.
Sammy's brother, and came to the Curries after the murder/suicide of their
parents. Andrew is developing some artistic abilities and has won prizes
for his drawings. Andrew has also been dealing with the problem of delayed
onset of puberty, which has been emotionally traumatic for him. (Book 2,
chapter 14)
Dion (Dion Jamal Jackson Currie) - 16 yo (November 27) senior - 5' 11",
black hair, brown eyes, cut. Dion has toffee colored skin, is a loner and
non-athlete. Dion was born to teenage parents and raised by his
grandmother. His mother took off and his father, a fireman, was killed in
a fire. When his grandmother died, Sally became his guardian but thought
he'd do better with the Curries. Dion and Trey are boyfriends, but Dion is
bi and just chooses to be with Trey. Dion has received recognition for his
fine singing voice. (Book 2, chapter 16)
Carlos (Carlos Miguel Garcia) - 18 yo (January 15) high school graduate -
5' 8 1/2" tall, black hair, brown eyes, and uncut. Carlos is stocky, but
not obese. Carlos and his mother (an illegal Mexican immigrant) moved from
California to Philadelphia with her boyfriend. The boyfriend physically
abused Carlos and Carlos ran away. Josh was able to keep Carlos and his
mother together, by helping to arrange for her to be in the country legally
and by helping her to find a job and place to live. (Book 2, chapter 20)
Mark Edward Williams - 23 yo - (June 30) 6' 1" tall, black hair, gray eyes,
and straight, with a trim and fit build. He graduated from Northern
Arizona University, with a degree in finance. Waited on the Curries when
they ate at a restaurant near the Grand Canyon, in Arizona. He was
illegitimate and he lived with his mother (Susan) in Oregon. Josh got him
a summer job, working in his field on the Castaway Foundation business, and
he now lives with the Curries full-time. (Book 3, chapter 2)
Nick (Nicholas Mark Lawrence) - 17 yo (February 28) college freshman - 5'
10" blond hair, blue eyes, and cut. Slender, a swimmer's build. Nick
thought his father hated him because he was gay and ran away from home.
The Curries found him on their Arizona vacation. They managed to reunite
the family, but Nick came to stay with them to go to school. He recently
got back from a year as an exchange student in Brasil (Brazil). (Book 3,
chapter 5)
Brent (Brent Alexander Currie) - (birthday was March 17) - Brent was picked
up hitchhiking, as the Curries returned from Baltimore. His parents had
thrown him out because he was gay and they couldn't change him. Later he
was killed in a vehicular accident, when he went on vacation with a friend
and his family. He is frequently in communication with Graham, from the
other side. (Book 4, chapter 2)
Shannon Michael McCarthy - 19 yo (December 16) college sophomore 5' 11"
blond hair, brown eyes, cut. Shannon is gay and was being bullied by some
Boy Scouts, who found out about his orientation, and the Currie boys came
to his defense. He and his father came to live with the Curries after Josh
suffered a heart attack, at Brent's funeral. (Book 4, chapter 10)
Jake McCarthy - 37 yo (November 18) and Shannon's father. He had married
and tried to be straight, but it didn't work. He and his wife divorced
after she found out, and later she asked him to take Shannon, after she
learned he was gay too. He and Shannon moved into the Currie house after
Josh suffered a heart attack, but the Currie boys had been trying to fix
them up before that. (Book 4, chapter 10)
Alvin (Vinnie) Mitchell Rydell - 18 yo (December 17) college frosh 5' 6"
brown hair and brown eyes, uncut- his parents were killed on one of the
flights originating out of Boston on 9/11. Vinnie was born with
hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy, and uses crutches to get around on. He
asked the Shays to adopt him, but he kept his last name. He did this so he
and Kevin wouldn't technically be brothers, because they are also lovers.
(Book 5, chapter 4)
Cody Reynolds - (birthday was January 5) Cody came to live with the Curries
when he was 12 and died less than a year later of A.L.L. (acute lymphocytic
leukemia). (Book 6, chapter 4)
Little Ricky a.ka. Richard (Richard Aaron Calloway Becker) - 16 - (June17)
senior - a boy who had lived in a group foster home until the Beckers
adopted him. He came to live with Josh after his father died, with his
mother being so ill. (Book 4, chapter 5)
Jesse Aaron Wells - 10 (April 1) fifth grader - Jesse's mother left him on
the Currie front porch on Easter Sunday, explaining that Jesse stopped
talking when he saw his father murdered, when he was 4.5 years old, and she
can't leave him around his abusive step-father any longer. Jesse spoke the
first time after Andrew was injured in bicycle accident.
Other recurring characters:
Sally Swarthout - works for Dept. of Social Services, and Josh's friend.
Sally helped convince Josh to become a foster parent and brought him many
of the boys. The boys call her Aunt Sally. (Book 1, chapter 1)
Steve Shay - Judge who presided over the first adoption and arranged for
Pat and Frankie to come to live with the Curries. He and his wife (Mary)
have since become good friends of the family and the boys call them Uncle
Steve and Aunt Mary. (Book 1, chapter 18)
Josh's older children & their spouses (from oldest to youngest): Michael
(Andrea), Marie (Adrian), Robert, and Elizabeth. (Book 1, chapter 18)
Jordan - Josh's 11 yo (March 17) grandson - he's in sixth grade and comes
and spends a great deal of time with his grandfather and uncles. (Book 1,
chapter 18)
Nicky - Josh's 9 yo (April 20) grandson (he and Jordan are cousins) - he is
in fourth grade and he also spends a great deal of time with his
grandfather and uncles. (Book 1, chapter 18)
Melanie - Josh's 4 yo (September 21) granddaughter and Nicky's sister.
Born a few months after the England vacation. (Book 4, chapter 1)
The O'Haras - (father Patrick) Brandon's parents who now live in Texas and
are good friends with the Curries. The Curries visited them in Texas on
one of their vacations. (Book 1, chapter 8)
The Yamadas - Sammy and Andrew's grandparents live in Japan, but have
visited the Curries several times. (Book 2, chapter 18)
The Spences (John and Margaret) - An older couple who met the Curries on
the plane, as they headed for Arizona on one of their vacations. The
Spences put up seed money for the Castaway Foundation and have become
surrogate grandparents to the boys since. (Book 3, chapter 1)
The Lawrences - (parents Mike and Julie) Nick's parents live in Oklahoma.
They have become very close to the Curries since they were reunited with
Nick. (Book 3, chapter 16)
The Beckers (Albert and Arlene - Little Ricky's adoptive parents) - an
older farm couple who were childless and decided to adopt Little Ricky
(when he was 13) with the Currie's assistance. Albert passed away in book
7 and Arlene is suffering from Alzheimer's. (Book 4, chapter 8)
Susan Williams - Mark's mother, who raised him mostly alone. She moved to
Pennsylvania, at Mark's request to be closer to her son. (Book 6, chapter
17)
Nurse Jane - nurse at Sloan-Kettering and Ted Beckham's aunt. She directed
her nephew to get in touch with us, to help him cope with being gay. (Book
6, Chapter 19)
Ted Beckham - 17 - gay nephew of the nurse who took care of Cody at
Sloan-Kettering. He came and spent time with us between Christmas and New
Year's. (Book 7, chapter 14)
Lester and Tammy Foote - run group home at Becker's old farm. (Book 7,
chapter 19)
Duck (Don) Jameson - helped Vinnie out after he caught Vinnie with another
boy, and is now close to the Curries. (Book 8, chapter 4)
Aaron and Jennifer Bird - run the group home at the other farm. (Book 8,
chapter 7)
The Flannerys - Farrell and Katelyn are parents, children Alannah (15),
Barry (13) - Andrew met Barry online and we went to meet them at their home
in Chicago. (Book 8, chapter 7)
The English Visitors: (Book 3, chapters 14 & 15)
Nigel Barstow- 50 yo - 5' 6" - the father of the English family similar to
the Currie family.
Padraic - 20 yo - from Ireland - parents killed in a bombing - brother of
Sean
Sean - 19 yo - from Ireland - parents killed in bombing - brother Padraic
Ivan - 18 yo - from Croatia - cousin of Andre - war orphan
Andre - 17 yo - from Croatia - cousin of Ivan - war orphan
Joseph- 20 yo - from Russia - ran away when his parents turned on him
because he was gay - his parents were Orthodox Jews and couldn't accept
their son being a homosexual.
Kjetil (pronounced Schet Til) 19 yo - was a Norwegian boy living in London
- parents died from a food borne illness, possibly mad-cow disease.
Baz 18 yo - A Palestinian boy whose parents were killed in a riot.
Will (short for William) 16 yo - son of a distant cousin of Nigel's, from
Leeds. He lived with his mother, who died of a viral infection.