Life for a family on a Nebraska homestead is difficult, with illness and weather causing worries about crops and finances, and conflicts between ranchers and farmers. For 11-year-old Nate’s family, the days grow even darker when he gets his leg crushed in a farm accident. To help out, Nate’s father brings home John Worth, just off the Orphan Train and dealing with the loss of his own family in a New York City tenement fire. With Nate’s honest telling of the story comes a fascinating narrative of family life during the late nineteenth century: the overwhelming responsibility children endured; the grueling, daily chores; the family’s struggle to hold onto their land and deal with their losses; the importance of community and the mores of the time. The richly drawn characters and their courageous, candid story present an important slice of history and a compelling exploration of friendship.
