Orion Saddler threw his head back and defiantly yelled, "Next time you see me, you won't know me too well!" to school officials as he angrily swung himself around and headed home for summer vacation. His school friends reacted wildly because Orion's outburst served notice that he would indeed be back in the fall; and when he returns he'll be many times more troublesome than ever before. Although Orion doesn't know it yet, this verbal onslaught signals a pivotal point of change which is about to happen in his life. Terribly concerned that their only son is drifting toward serious trouble, his parents send him to stay with his grandparents on a remote farm in southern West Virginia for summer break. Shortly after arriving, an assortment of exciting adventures provides him with new experiences that enlarge his physical and emotional boundaries. Over the weeks that follow, Orion will build a relationship with his grandparents, Poppy John and Mammaw Saddler. They are also the ones who guide him through the ups and downs of farm life with love, discipline, and freedom. Orion first sees the farm as peculiar and confining; however, he eventually discovers something very precious and powerful in this new mountain environment - he finds a new way to look at life. Sure enough, the next time his school buddies see him, he is a different person - a completely transformed, mature Mountain Boy.
