In this high-interest novel for middle readers, thirteen-year-old Mark adjusts to long rides on the school bus after moving to a small town to live with his grandmother. Mark is a city kid who has come to a small town to live with his grandmother. His first ride home on the school bus is brutal, and he does his best to avoid interacting with the country kids. But when tragedy strikes, Mark soon learns he has more in common with them than he would ever have imagined.