Product Description

It's 1952 in a small prairie town, and bigotry is a way of life. Will and Arthur have been friends forever, but folks figure it won't last. Whites and Indians always outgrow their friendships -- or so they say. And now the boys have made a grisly discovery that threatens to unravel the very fabric of their friendship. A local Indian and World War II hero has been beaten and left for dead near the railway tracks. While the police conclude that a train caused Yellowfly's injuries, Will and Arthur know better. To find answers, they'll have to pursue the case on their own. In their search for justice, the boys discover that true brotherhood sometimes calls for sacrifice. And that courage, like cowardice, can take many forms.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #383874 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-In 1952, Grayson is a Canadian town divided by railroad tracks and racism. When sixth-grader Will Samson and his best friend, Arthur, a Blackfoot Indian, find the beaten and barely alive body of Yellowfly near the railroad tracks, they know that the war hero could not have been hit by a train as Sergeant Findley claims. They know that Yellowfly was beaten by townspeople, and that Findley is not going to do anything to find them. So, torn by the prejudices of his own people and loyalty to Arthur, Will sets out to solve the mystery himself. After seeing the humiliation that Arthur and the other children endure at the Reservation school and the scorn given to Indians and anyone who associates with them, Will begins to look inside himself, at his own racist attitude. The novel is a sensitive portrayal of how one boy's brave and selfless actions can help to change a community. Deft characterization adds depth to the story, but the plot moves methodically and may lose readers midstream.

Heather Dieffenbach, Lexington Public Library, KY

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 6-8. Friendship and tolerance are the twin themes of this story that displays the casual prejudice and injustice toward Native Americans permeating the small Canadian town of Grayson in 1952. Will Samson and his Indian friend, Arthur, discover the nearly lifeless body of Yellowfly, a resident of the nearby reservation: he has been beaten, though the local Mountie opines that he was probably hit by a train. Will and Arthur set out to learn who is responsible for Yellowfly's assault, and when Will learns who is involved, he must risk his own safety to see that justice is done. As the action progresses, Will and Arthur tangle with their attitudes toward each other, with Will realizing how his own unthinking responses to Arthur generate friction in an otherwise genuine friendship. A thoughtful, discerning picture of the difficulties of standing up for what is right. Denise Wilms
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
In his first-person narrator, Will Stenhouse creates a complex and realistic portrait of a boy of his age and era. Stenhouse cleverly weaves in Colonel Macleod’s manipulative 1877 treaty with Chief Crowfoot as a motif symbolizing the broken trust between First Nations and whites in Canada. (Quill & Quire )

The novel is a sensitive portrayal of how one boy’s brave and selfless actions can help to change a community. (School Library Journal )