In 1932 Minnesota, Odie and his brother, Albert, are white orphans living in the Lincoln Indian Training School. It’s a cruel place, run by the heartless Brickman couple, where Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. Odie is constantly in trouble while his older brother tries to follow the rules.

After a fatal incident, Odie and Albert go on the run, taking with them Mose, a Sioux teenager whose tongue was cut out when he was a child, and Emmy, a little girl whose mother was killed in a tornado. They flee in a canoe along the Gilead River, hoping to connect to the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and get to St. Louis to find their Aunt Julia.

It’s a dangerous trip. With a bounty on their heads, they are pursued by the law and the Brickmans. Depression-era America is a hard place and they come across many other lost souls, including a struggling alcoholic farmer, a band of travelling faith healers, and families displaced by the tough economic times.

This coming-of-age tale is a captivating read, with echoes of Huckleberry Finn. The courageous and resourceful children encounter cruelty, abuse, racism and despair but also kindness and hope. They learn about the terrible injustices inflicted on Native Americans and the devastating impact of the Great Depression. This is a lyrical, atmospheric saga about the importance of self and the search for home.

Reviewed by Melinda Woledge