This Tender Land: A Novel by William Kent Krueger is an unforgettable story of four orphans and their loyalty to one another. The story begins on the banks of Minnesota’s Gilead River, 1932.

Odie O’Banion, 12, and his brother Albert, 16, have been confined to the Lincoln Indian Training School ever since they were orphaned. Although not Indian, at their time of placement there was no other option for them. The school was a cruel place that seemed to thrive on the motto, “Kill the Indian, save the man.” Their best friend was Mose, a Sioux mute boy, who conversed by sign language.

Odie was always in trouble, was constantly being punished. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, tolerate the cruel treatment given by the head master and mistress and their evil assistant. Finally, the three boys could take no more and escaped, together with a broken-hearted little girl named Emmy. They stole away in a canoe, heading for the Mississippi River and bound for Odie and Albert’s aunt in St. Louis, Missouri.

While on the run, the children encounter other lost souls suffering from hard times of the Great Depression, but they also benefit from the kindness of a faith healer troupe.

This Tender Land is a captivating story, full of heart. The reader sees the world through the eyes of these children, feels their struggle to belong, and recognizes the importance of family, whether through birth or choice.