"This is an Arthur A. Levine book".

"Matt Park and Eric Costas are bank geeks, comic nerds, and really close friends. It makes life basically okay at Hilltop Summit K-8 School. But with Eric moving away at the end of the year, it's harder for Matt to tolerate the "jokey" racist comments from one of the other guys in the drum section. And he's also tired of hearing people call him and Eric "gay." (Cause they're not. And it's not an insult either.) So the two boys hatch a plan to end the year with a bang: during the regional marching band competition at World of Amazement they will sneak away to nearby DefenderCon and meet their absolute favorite comic creator, Jonah Burns. Without cell phones. Or transportation. Or permission. But of course the plan is a long shot to begin with. And they have an enemy who wants to sink it." -- dust jacket flap.