Chief. Hiawatha. Danny hates that his classmates tease him with these names. But ever since his family moved away from the Mohawk reservation so his mother could take a job as a social worker in Manhattan, his life at school has been miserable. Outside of the fourth grade, things aren't always easy either. His father works 50 stories up in the air on the iron beams of skyscrapers under construction, a dangerous job that takes him away from home for weeks at a time. No matter how much his parents love him and one another, and no matter how much they encourage Danny to trust the Iroquois way of life that says "if you believe in peace...an enemy can become a friend,"Danny can't find a way to feel at home in the world away from his own home and people. In Joseph Bruchac's welcome novel about a contemporary American Indian child and family, a young boy's struggle with the stereotypes and prejudice of his peers begins to turn around when he finds the strength inside himself to extend a hand in friendship. (Ages 9-11)