It's 1952 in a small prairie town, and bigotry is a way of life. Will and Arthur have been friends forever, but folks figure it won't last. Whites and Indians always outgrow their friendships -- or so they say. And now the boys have made a grisly discovery that threatens to unravel the very fabric of their friendship. A local Indian and World War II hero has been beaten and left for dead near the railway tracks. While the police conclude that a train caused Yellowfly's injuries, Will and Arthur know better. To find answers, they'll have to pursue the case on their own. In their search for justice, the boys discover that true brotherhood sometimes calls for sacrifice. And that courage, like cowardice, can take many forms.

Ted Stenhouse grew up in Gleichen, Alberta. He now lives in Wahpeton, North Dakota. Across the Steel River was his first novel.

Ted Stenhouse's profile page

• Short-listed, Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award
• Winner, Our Choice, Canadian Children’s Book Centre
• Short-listed, Red Maple Book Award, Ontario Library Association

The novel is a sensitive portrayal of how one boy's brave and selfless actions can help to change a community.

School Library Journal

Friendship and tolerance are the twin themes of this story that displays the casual prejudice and injustice toward Native Americans permeating the small Canadian town of Grayson in 1952. A thoughtful, discerning picture of the difficulties of standing up for what is right.

Booklist

In his first-person narrator, Will Stenhouse creates a complex and realistic portrait of a boy of his age and era. Stenhouse cleverly weaves in Colonel Macleod's manipulative 1877 treaty with Chief Crowfoot as a motif symbolizing the broken trust between First Nations and whites in Canada.

Quill & Quire