Mary E. Gale

Mountain Boy in the City Mary E. Gale

Stunned by their parents' murder, terrified of the killers, and afraid of being separated, six-year-old Nicky and nine-year-old Pete Piedmont flee to a mountain cave outside Chattanooga, Tennessee where they hide for three years. The brothers survive with difficulty by watching how the animals live. One day, lonely, tormented Nicky sees a boy camping with his parents. The mountain boy sneaks away from his domineering brother to join them. The suspenseful Mountain Boy in the City follows Nicky's misadventures along the jagged trail to becoming a responsible young teenager and overcoming his tragic past to get the future he desperately wants.

His darkest moment comes when he rides his spotted horse to find his brother, but, the old Appaloosa becomes too injured to ever be ridden again. Nicky's fierce desire to belong to a family clashes with his inability to conform to society's rules. Mountain Boy in the City tells the story of Nicky's coming of age.