Barkdull (The Mourning Dove
) offers this gentle coming-of-age story, a novel with the flavor of YA fiction. In Fort Benton, Mont., an old collie's master has died and the casket has been put on the train. For the next six years, four times a day, Shep meets every incoming train hoping to see the old sheepherder. Ben Colby, 13; his younger brother, "Squid," and the comely 15-year-old Ellie form an unlikely friendship with the dog. Ben soon feels the pangs of first love and grapples with issues of trust and understanding in his relationship with his mother and his severely depressed father. In the evenings, Ben marvels over the North Star's constancy from his window and pens letters to God, detailing the hopes of his heart. Lovely descriptions of Montana as it might have been in war-torn 1942 make the story sing, and some light tension keeps the pages turning. Ben sometimes seems older than his years, but scenes such as the one in which he attempts mouth-to-beak resuscitation of a presumed-dead chicken remind us he's an adolescent. Although the story seems geared to young adult readers, older readers will also enjoy this tale of faith, loss and loyalty. (Sept.)
