This delightful and funny coming-of-age novel is very unusual. First Scotty has been pretty much on his own since he was ten years old. Second, his step dad does not care about him at all, nor does he usually provide food for Scotty. Third, much of what he has learned about life has been learned down at the hobo jungles in Rivercove, Ohio in 1931. There are many funny and interesting surprises.