Branded a no-good like his father, Moss Trawnley joins the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. It’s a job and a way to give his life direction. There’s nothing glamorous about it, just mopping floors, scrubbing showers, toilets and sinks, burning trash and cleaning latrines. But eventually, Moss realizes he’s having a hand in something important: Building reservoirs, helping farmers, planting forests and building parks and wildlife refuges. Multiply his work by all of the other CCC projects and you have something big going on, sponsored by President Roosevelt’s New Deal. Ingold’s passion for her subject, crisp narrative and lively dialogue carry this fine story of a young man finding a way to make a difference in a difficult time. A good match with her The Big Burn (2002) also set in Montana. (bibliography) (Fiction. 12-14)
