Junior, a young Indian boy who is living on the Spokane Indian Reservation and who is adept at cartooning, wants to break away from his way of life and attend a regular school. The story chronicles the troubles this causes Junior with both his old friends and the new people he meets at his new school.

Sometimes the events in the story tug at the heart strings, but the author also gives us some comic scenes that break the tension. The comic scenes keep the book from being just a pitiful story of an Indian boy trying to blaze his own future.

The relationship with his best friend Rowdy, before and after his transfer to his new school, rings true, and some of the moments are touching and remind the readers of friendships gone awry.

An additional plus with the novel is the insight the reader gets about how life on an Indian Reservation can be. It seems these people are stuck and have no way out, but Junior proves one can, with a great deal of heartbreak and agony, make a new life for himself.

Young adult readers (and older ones too for that matter) will enjoy this book because the writing is so well done and the story moves at a good pace. Ellen Forney provides the art work that is supposed to be those produced by Junior. This will be a favorite on junior high reading lists.