Kids and their pets and the life lessons that could be learned when they could be autonomous. I had a general idea of how the story was going to go down, but I appreciate it’s courage to work through the tough stuff alongside Billy’s triumphs.

Billy’s the quintessential good guy: always works hard with a goal in mind, responsible and wise beyond his years, generally respectful of his elders, with the ultimate goal of being accepted as a man. However, he struggles through terror, grief, and theology in authentic ways. No smoothing over life challenges here.

Is there an Ozark mountain boy in literature who does NOT have a run in with a mountain lion?