Tag along with courageous, twelve-year-old Ben Grummond during his remarkable summer of 1889, as he tells about an accident which resulted in big challenges for him, especially with his eyesight. He wonders how he will ever be able to do his schoolwork and worries about keeping up his chores on his family's ranch. He does his best to live a normal life, but it's hard for him to overcome many things at the same time. When a chance comes to travel with his father who is going to Helena, Montana, to participate in efforts for statehood, Ben commits to six weeks away from the ranch. He meets a teacher who may be able to help him learn to live with his eyesight trouble or even overcome it. New friends and adventures in a new place and with people he had never dreamed he would meet may be the boost Ben needs to meet his challenges. The exciting backdrop of historic Montana on the brink of statehood and a young man's growing into new ways of seeing what life can bring provide an exciting and thoughtful read.