Trouble River by Betsy Byars

Age : 8-12

Safety is downriver—but first there’s trouble ahead.

As soon as Dewey Martin sees the Indian creeping toward the cabin—and toward his unsuspecting grandmother—he knows what to do: knock him down and take off before the rest of the raiding party arrives. The only means of escape is Dewey’s homemade raft, and lying in its path are rapids, wolves, Indians, and forty miles of uncharted river. Can a boy who’s never manned an oar and an old frontierswoman be the first to make it down Trouble River?

“[An] original, suspenseful story of pioneer life, enlivened by touches of humor and vivid characterizations.”—Booklist