Set mostly in Nebraska at the same time Laura Ingalls was dealing with grasshoppers, this is the story of young Kevin. Kevin is orphaned on the ship coming to New York from Ireland, and worse yet, when he arrives in the US, he finds his only relative is in jail. The book is about the luck and pluck of the Irish lad as he assimilates and embraces his new homeland. Strains of Horatio Alger, certainly. A splendid glimpse into a little town on the prairie without any disagreeable Ma spoiling things.

The hardest thing to take about this hardcover book published in 1979 is the way it fell to pieces in my hands as I read it. The pages just fell out due to dried-up glue. So sad. ( )