Once there was a runaway . The third book in the Crow Stories trilogy is a haunting tale of a young boy's resilience and hope. When a young boy loses his mother to cholera, he is convinced he must leave home. He is fearless, resourceful and, above all, determined to find what he is looking for. When his hunger gets the best of him, he agrees to join two riders who take him to their encampment. The boy is soon put to work for his soup and bread, and time passes, though he holds fast to his purpose. Then just when he is ready to set out again, he finds there is no need . Nancy Vo's finale to the Crow Stories trilogy is a moving tribute to a young boy's resilience and faith in the people he loves -- even in the face of their absence -- and his discovery that while times may be hard, they can also get much better.

Key Text Features dialogue illustrations Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.

3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).