I was anticipating a book full of vivid descriptions of life and scenes in the Pioneer Valley during the 1800's. Instead, this book is a series of unimaginative and uneven dialogues between woodenly uninteresting child-characters. Too bad, given that there are few stories written in that setting. The story begins in an abandoned foreman's house along a minor canal system. The lead female character, Etta, is in the house eating the nuts she has found there when the lead male character, Walter, a boy who is living in the house, finds her. Written in Etta's voice, we hear the flat dull thoughts as they go through her mind, or as she expresses them to Walter. She is an orphan with siblings. She needs a place to live. Walter, who has his own problems, tells her she must leave, but changes his mind without reason. A third child character enters, but the dialogue goes on in the same dumbed-down way, sprinkled with the odd modern idiom, as they plow through the story trying to find employment and stability. I found it difficult to sympathize with the plight of the characters, and reading the story became a chore rather than a pleasure. The best part of the book comes at the end: A few historical notes give us some background. This brief afterward reinforced the disappointment I felt in the story; given the lush and interesting setting, it could have been a much better story.

Spunky Etta, 11, has had enough of the foster homes. She runs away from her last hoping to find a place that she and her brother and sister can be together. That dream of being a family once again keeps Etta's spirit going. She finds an old foreman's cabin that has been squatted by Walter, 12, who is hiding out from his father, the town drunk. Together, with their friend Jake, they make a home for themselves and Etta finds herself belonging to a different kind of family. Hurst drew me in from page one with Etta's humor and non-stop chatter. The dialogue was good, description great, and the plot interesting enough to keep me turning the pages. Although some parts were predictable and I thought there could be a bit more tension with her brother and sister and if they would be coming to live with her or not - it was an enjoyable read.