George at the Wheel; Or, Life in the Pilot-House

Ned Ackerman has just left home, uneasy about the rumors swirling around his cousin George’s mysterious disappearance. While his Uncle John rushes to arrange a hasty departure from Brownsville, the boy senses that his father knows more than he lets on, and the tension between them fuels his determination to uncover the truth. The story opens with a restless trek toward the Mississippi headwaters, where promises of canoe adventures clash with the looming threat of hostile “Greasers” who have taken George captive.

Against a backdrop of dusty frontier towns and restless rivers, Ned’s journey becomes a test of courage, loyalty, and quick thinking. As he follows clues left by his cousin and confronts the uneasy alliances of ranchemen, outlaws, and uneasy townsfolk, the young protagonist learns what it means to navigate both the literal and figurative currents of life on the edge of the American West.