Jack Hurd lives with his parents on a small farm in Maine. One day in the winter of his 6th grade year, Joseph Brooks comes to live with them as a foster child. Joseph has been in trouble and spent time in a boy's group home, a juvenile detention center, and most recently a high security juvenile prison after allegedly trying to kill a teacher. He is only 14, but is the father of a newborn baby girl. He has never seen his daughter, but loves her and her mother dearly. He wants nothing more than to be a part of their lives. The adults in his life are making that impossible at this point and Joseph is rebelling.
This is the most beautifully written book I have read in a long time. Told from the viewpoint of the 6th grade foster brother Jack, it is sparse in its writing, yet incredibly rich in the emotion it evokes. Highly recommended!