Books with author James Collier

Life at Deacon Smith’s Home for Waifs would be completely dreary if it weren’t for Possum’s best friend, Billy, who "thinks up lies faster than he can talk." When Billy hears that gold is hidden in the mountains, he escapes from the orphanage, taking Possum with him. The two runaways embark on a journey through the Western frontier in search of the gold. In the process, they get tangled up in a murder, spy on a lunatic, and barely manage to keep ahead of the law. Filled with colorful characters, plot twists, and dramatic scenery of the old west, this is an exciting new adventure story in the tradition of Huckleberry Finn.

[MP3-CD audiobook format in Vinyl case. *NOTE: The MP3-CD format requires a compatible audio CD player.][Read by Kirby Heyborne] In this rousing coming-of-age story set on the American frontier, one ornery twelve-year-old has a lot to learn if he's to survive his new life as a mountain man. Having run away after hitting Pa in a bout of rage, Jesse decides to fend for himself. Too much uncontrollable anger and inexplicable emotion since Ma went away have taken their toll. All he wants now is to be left alone. At first, every day on the mountain is a struggle. Beset by hunger and cold, fear and loneliness, Jesse stubbornly and defiantly refuses to concede defeat. Gradually, he learns to hunt, to skin and cure animal pelts, to build a cabin . . . all skills necessary to life in the wilderness. He takes on a mad mountaineer and even helps kill a bear. In so doing, Jesse slowly gains confidence and insight beyond his years. ''I was watching me turn myself into a mountain man.'' An action-packed adventure proves a provocative voyage of self-discovery as one young boy observes the best and worst in nature, people, and himself.