Stepfamilies, Nature, Action & Adventure, Country Life, Farm Life 

Eleven-year-old Dal Wilkins has high hopes for his summer vacation He istraveling out west on a real Pullman train to the land of cowboys and bucking broncos. At least that's the west that Dal, a city kid, imagines. The catch? Dal's traveling partner is Mr. Sabatini, his new stepfather. Mr. Sabatini is okay, maybe, but Dal can't imagine thinking of him as his dad.At first, summer in Eden , Idaho, isn't quite what Dal expects. He and Mr. Sabatini bunk down in tiny Unit Number 4 of the Garden of Eden Motel--so much for the Wild West. Then Dal got his first job--"roguing" bean plants with a wisecracking crew of locals--and meets Patty Puckett, the girl next door. Summer in Eden starts to resemble the adventure Dal was hoping to find. It takes a journey to the snake-infested wilderness, though, for Dal to discover the real--not the TV--meaning of courage, resourcefulness, and love.Set in the early 1950s, this is a deeply wise, funny, and timeless story from esteemed author Morse Hamilton.Swaggering cowboys, bucking broncos, maybe some Russian spies hiding out in the desert. Summer in the wild West is sure to produce all this and more for eleven-year-old city kid Dal Wilkins that is, if he can last three months in rural Idaho with Harry Sabatini, his new stepfather. But soon Dal has his first job with a wisecracking, all-female crew of field hands, meets first love, and comes face to face with a terrifying crisis that demands all his nerve and skill. Suddenly a summer of fanciful boyhood expectations has become anything but....Set in the early 1950s, this is a deeply funny, wise, and moving story for all times from notable author Morse Hamilton.Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2000, National Council for SS & Child. Book Council and 00 Riverbank Review Magazine's Children's Books of Distinction Award NominationsSwaggering cowboys, bucking broncos, maybe some Russian spies hiding out in the desert. Summer in the wild West is sure to produce all this and more for eleven-year-old city kid Dal Wilkins that is, if he can last three months in rural Idaho with Harry Sabatini, his new stepfather. But soon Dal has his first job with a wisecracking, all-female crew of field hands, meets first love, and comes face to face with a terrifying crisis that demands all his nerve and skill. Suddenly a summer of fanciful boyhood expectations has become anything but....Set in the early 1950s, this is a deeply funny, wise, and moving story for all times from notable author Morse Hamilton. - from Amzon