Give me a character canoeing down a river, or a vivid description of changing fall leaves, and I am, shall we say, a happy camper. As this is neither practical (I have no outdoorsy skills) nor feasible (the woods are very far away), I like turning to the next best thing: books set in the great outdoors.

(I guess I should have mentioned that the author was clearly inspired by another adventurer with the same name).Because I live in a city that’s more concrete than grass, I sometimes go weeks without spending time in nature-which means I fantasize about tossing my phone down a subway grate and setting off into the woods a lot. He most certainly can tell a story just like our narrator, old Odysseus who is recalling just a few months as a boy of 12 who stood up for others and changed his destiny!! ( I look forward to my next William Kent Krueger book.

I really enjoyed my time along the Gilead River as it makes it’s way to the Mississippi. Some may find the hopeful notes a tad sentimental, but I’ve always enjoyed some magical realism with my storytelling. I enjoyed the fairytale quality of this book’s band of wanderers, but make no mistake- this book doesn’t hesitate to turn over rocks and show the underbelly of Krueger’s eclectic cast of supporting characters. Odie, his older brother, Albert, friend Moses and young Emma learn the meaning of that adage and so much more as they continuously prove family has nothing to do with birth. This books touches on a lot of places and people of the US heartland while proving to our young travelers, home is where the heart is. This book covers the gamut of humans- the good, the bad, and ugly. Yet families with little to share find a way to help those even less unfortunate.

The time is 1932 and the country is littered with Hoovervilles and unscrupulous folks out to make a buck for themselves at unthinkable costs to their fellow men, women and children. What is it about an “on the road” tale that is so inviting? I find myself thinking of a variety of books where young characters hit the road and adventures and life lessons ensue. I’m on a roll with this author- both this book and Ordinary Grace were really great reads.

This tender land goodreads