In 1860, sensitive, sheltered Silas, 12, lives with his loving, intelligent father, Martin Bird, and Mittenwool, a ghost who’s been Silas’s companion for as long as he can remember. When Silas’s father is forced at gunpoint to accompany three men looking for someone named Mac Boat, his parting instructions to Silas are to not follow. But when a horse that's run away from his father’s kidnappers shows up the next morning, Silas is sure it's a sign he should do exactly that. Accompanied by Mittenwool, Silas rides the horse, which he calls Pony, into the forest he’s feared since early childhood to find his father. Soon lost, he’s rescued by Marshal Farmer, a lawman looking for a band of counterfeiters. The marshal is reluctant to let Silas accompany him until Silas mentions the men and the name of Mac Boat, who, it turns out, is a famous counterfeiter. When the marshal is injured, he dispatches Silas to summon help from some local lawmen. Soon Silas, Sheriff Chalfont, and Deputy Beautyman are approaching the kidnapper’s cave where Silas’s father is held. The already enthralling plot is made even more intriguing as Silas discovers and unravels more than one mystery about his family’s past. But it’s the kindness and compassion of its main characters, all white, that give this story its deeper weight. Old daguerreotype and ambrotype photographs of people in the 19th century are the lead-in to chapters introducing key characters throughout this singular work. (Ages 9-14)

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

“Perfection.” –The Wall Street Journal

The bestselling author of Wonder returns with an enthralling adventure about a boy on a quest to rescue his father, with only a ghost as his companion and a mysterious pony as his guide.  

Twelve-year-old Silas is awoken in the dead of night by three menacing horsemen who take his father away. Silas is left shaken, scared, and alone, except for the presence of his companion, Mittenwool . . . who happens to be a ghost. When a pony shows up at his door, Silas makes the courageous decision to leave his home and embark on a perilous journey to find his father. Along the way, he will face his fears to unlock the secrets of his past and explore the unfathomable mysteries of the world around him.
 
R. J. Palacio spins a harrowing yet distinctly beautiful coming-of-age story about the power of love and the ties that bind us across distance and time. With the poignant depth of War Horse and the singular voice of True Grit, this is one of those rare books poised to become an instant classic for readers of all ages.

“A wonderful story of courage. ... It's got the feeling of a modern classic.” —as recommended on NPR by Jorge Lacera