Kureger writes in the Afterword of this book that he set out initially to update Huckleberry Finn, and the result is a book that combines themes from Twain's classic with that of an updated Odyssey and themes of other myths and legends. The character Odie tells the story of the journey he took when he was 12 years old with his brother and two friends, escaping from an Indian school. Odie has a gift for storytelling, weaving a tale that can only be described as an epic. He himself acknowledges his unreliability a couple of times, but the truthfulness-or not-of the story isn't the point. Rather, it is a stirring look at the Midwest in the 1930s, right at the height of the Great Depression. The people that Odie and his friends encounter represent different facets of life in this time period, shedding light on the hardships that many went through. But it is also an adventure story, where you are rooting for the characters' success.

I found the writing, tone, and themes to be reminiscent of many classics. The story gripped me and I wanted to know what happened to the characters in the end. Odie was at times annoying, especially with the choices he made and more so than any other character, but that is to be expected of a 12-year-old, I guess. Overall, this was an excellent book that I found myself not wanting to finish.