Chasing the Dream: Climbing the Mountain

By Michael Baldauf

One fearless kid. One dirt bike. One impossible dream worth chasing.

Mickey Wrae is not like other kids. Born with a daredevil spirit and a body built for speed, he conquers towering oak trees, launches himself off swings at their highest arc, and tears down hills on his tricycle while other children play it safe. The son of a decorated fighter pilot and an ER nurse, Mickey has always heard the same words from his father: you can accomplish anything if you work hard enough. And Mickey believes every word.

When his family relocates from sunny Tampa to the wooded hills of Northern Virginia, Mickey discovers a world of new thrills. But nothing prepares him for the moment he first encounters the roar of a motocross bike. It awakens something deep inside him, a hunger for speed and competition that no tree climb or construction site ride could ever satisfy. With the guidance of an unlikely mentor from a completely different world, Mickey begins to chase a dream bigger than anything his little corner of Falls Church has ever seen.

From backyard dare rides to local circuits and beyond, Chasing the Dream: Climbing the Mountain is an inspiring story of raw talent, unbreakable bonds, and the relentless drive it takes to rise from a curious kid in the woods to a force on the national motocross stage. But the mountain only gets steeper from here. Does Mickey have what it takes to reach the top?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HHBS173Z
• ISBN13: 9798318831768
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 12 years and under
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 7