How It All Goes Down
Matt Hallowell becomes head honcho (okay, more like lone honcho) when his dad leaves him at their cabin in Maine and heads off to pick up the rest of their family in Massachusetts. Being a loner isn't so bad for Matt… until a not-so-friendly passerby up and steals his only rifle. Then Matt almost gets himself killed by a hive of angry bees. Oops.
Enter Saknis and his grandson, Attean, local Penobscot Indians. Saknis saves Matt's life, and as payment, Matt agrees to teach Attean English. Attean's not thrilled with the arrangement, since he's a white-boy hater, and Matt's not crazy about Attean either. But over time the boys build a relationship based around stories from Robinson Crusoe and Attean's Survivorman lessons.
The duo even kills a bear that's on the attack together. Now that's cool.
Matt learns that distrust flows both ways, and finds that not all Indians are his fans, especially Attean's grandmother. But that changes when Matt goes out of his way to save Attean's dog from an animal trap—suddenly he's on the short list of white boys that Attean's people trust.
The Penobscots invite Matt to join their clan when they leave for the winter (and the rest of their lives), and though Matt loves the idea, he can't be disloyal to his family—even though they are months late in their arrival. Saying no earns Matt respect from Attean (finally), but also leaves him lonely and worried, until he realizes that with the Indians' gifts, he can survive even the harshest weather. Long story short? He's the man.
And his father agrees… once he finally returns to the cabin with the rest of Matt's family, that is. Life is peachy once more, and Matt can't wait to tell them all about Attean and the rest of his Penobscot peeps.