"It's true, what many say. Time and age have a way of rounding off the edges and making jagged pieces of the past seem clear and smooth and bright. But for those of us growing up in the small prairie town of Mandan, North Dakota, in the 1950s, those truly were times when every day was an adventure, every neighbor was a story, and everyone belonged somewhere because we were all connected and trusted others to know that. Young Moose knows it's going to be an unusual year when his new teacher looks like a goat and is even ornerier, a neighborhood posse is hot on the trail of a felon, and the ancient ghosts are dancing in the light of a full moon. His days are full of trials including the cancelling of Christmas, tittering on the brink of flunking a grade, and losing his position as catcher on the baseball team. It's also a time of runaway horses and bucking pigs, a quest for the truth of the birds and the bees, and of taking a giant step towards manhood. Come follow Moose and his friends; an Indian Shaman, a Gypsy King, and a mystical boy named Mickey as they travel through the adventures."--Page 4 of cover