The Body (Different Seasons)

I cannot help wondering if this novella from Stephen King is autobiographical. It's about four 12 year-olds who team up to locate the dead body of a boy killed by a train - it's also set in Maine (King's home state), set in 1960-ish when King was also 12. It's a rough working class district and the other boys have recreant older brothers, tough as hell. The first person narrator (Gordie Lachance) goes on to be a best-selling author whose books are made into movies (King again). But regardless it's a great read and frankly feels very real.