Jaime goes to live with his paternal grandmother and uncle the summer his father is killed in Vietnam. The family ranch and New Mexico's endless landscape are a completely new experience for the middle schooler raised in New York City, and he is shocked when his mother announces she must go back to the city-without him! They are both worried about his brother, who stayed behind and is insistent on joining the Marines. Neither can stand the idea of losing him to war, too.
As the days stretch out before him, Jaime learns the ways of the Cieza men who have lived in the Southwest for generations, including how to care for the chickens, ride his father's horse, Shadow Walker, and shoot a rifle. A budding love interest, the granddaughter of a neighboring rancher, brightens his summer. And when he and his Tío Julio see Graybeard, an old wolf that hasn't been in the area for years, the boy's uncle shares the legend of the wolf pack descended from indigenous peoples and teaches him how to track the beast. Could the old wolf be his father, trying to communicate with him? Will they really kill him as their neighbor insists they must to protect the livestock?
In this novel for young adults, a boy on the cusp of manhood observes the importance of family, respect for the natural world and the impact of war as he considers who he will become. Young readers, especially boys, will be drawn to this coming-of-age story that explores masculinity and men's roles.
