Crows and Cards

Three warnings for readers who hate surprises: 1. Beware of slivers, 2. and gamblers, 3. and aces.

Zebulon Crabtree found all that out the hard way back in 1849 when his mother and father shipped him off to St. Louis to apprentice with a tanner. Too bad he had serious allergies to fur and advice from his parents. Hearing the beat of a different drummer, Zeb takes up with a riverboat gambler who has some special plans for him, crosses paths with a slave who turns out to be a better friend than cook, and learns that some Indian medicine men can see even though blind. And then there’s the Brotherhood—the one that Zeb can’t seem to get out of . . . Lucky for us, the price of living in turbulent times is often a good story, and Zeb spins an unforgettable one.

What happens when a twelve-year-old runaway with a fear of slivers falls in with a Mississippi riverboat gambler?

A Coming of Age Story: Twelve-year-old Zebulon Crabtree is shipped off to be a tanner’s apprentice, but he has other plans—if he can just avoid getting splinters. Riverboat Adventure: From smoky card games on a Mississippi steamer to the bustling streets of 1849 St. Louis, this journey is filled with high stakes and bigger-than-life characters. A Den of Gamblers: Zeb thinks he’s found a mentor in a slick riverboat gambler, but soon learns the price of joining a secret Brotherhood you can’t get out of. Laugh-Out-Loud Narration: Told with folksy wit and unforgettable 19th-century slang, Zeb’s tale is perfect for fans of classic American adventures.