In the summer of 1951, orphaned eleven year old Donal “Donny” Cameron was sent on a “dog bus" (Greyhound) from Gros Ventre, Montana, to stay with his great Aunt Kate and Uncle Herman, known as Dutch, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, while his Grams recovered from an operation. But, she had lost her job as a cook at the Double W ranch because of the long recovery time needed for this surgery. As Donny, with his old suitcase, $30, and an autograph book, travelled alone for two days and nights, he would meet strangers along the way and have them sign quotes, poems, or anything they wanted to write, into his infamous autograph book.

Once arriving in Wisconsin, things were not as appeared. Donny was sent up into the attic to live out the summer, and his Aunt Kate, was just as Gram had always described her...mean, bossy and ruthless...an unfair person. Kate had accidentally thrown Donny’s $30 away, which had been pinned into one of his dirty shirts he arrived with. But, she blamed him for not removing it first, and wasn’t about to give him spending money while there for the summer. Kate and Herman fought incessantly. She considered him worthless, so he spent most of his time in the greenhouse growing plants. And that’s where Donny would also find himself to get away from Kate...until she could not handle him any longer and decided to send him away to an orphanage until his Grams recovered.

But, while on the greyhound bus, Herman suddenly showed up and plopped down onto the seat next to Donny. He’s got money and they are off to see the West, which had always been a dream of Herman’s. Donny finds out Herman’s real story. He’s not Dutch at all, but a German who ran from Hitler’s war and ended up in America illegally. He and Kate were actually never married, but she had taken his name just to avoid any gossip.

So, now the two of them had freedom of the road for the summer, just wherever the “dog bus” ran. They made it to the Crow Fair in Crow, Montana. And here they met Rags Rasmussen, only the rodeo champ of the WORLD. They next headed to Yellowstone, but here they met trouble. Kate had turned Herman in as an illegal alien, and one of the passengers on the previous bus ride had stolen all of Herman’s money.

They ended up hoboing in Wisdom, Montana, where they got jobs during the hay season. As luck would have it, they ended up on Rags Rasmussen’s ranch. And just when it looked like the law had finally caught up with them, Rags came to the rescue. He found out their real story and offered both Herman and Donny a permanent place on the ranch, and since he needed a good cook, he also offered Donny’s grandmother a job.
A perfectly happy ending!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ivan Doig was born 27 Jun 1939 in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. His dad was a real ranch hand and his mom a ranch cook. The storyline is completely fictional but bits of the story's settings, such as the Crow Festival and life of the hobos who move around for summer work are real. The idea of a young boy traveling alone on a greyhound bus came from one of his dear friend in life who actually did have to travel alone when young.

He died at age 75 on 09 Apr 2015. This was his very last book of 16 of which he had written. Most, fiction and nonfiction, were set in Montana. ( )

I got a little more than halfway through and had to stop.
No interesting characters and a going nowhere story. I get that it was the author’s last book but some paring down on parts that just drag on forever, would have been a good idea. ( )

Just about everything about this book made me think I'd like it - coming of age story, cross-country trip, out-west setting. In actuality, I just found it meh. Not bad, but not really grabbing me and pulling me in. I found it sweet and satisfying in parts, and that's about it. ( )

The first book I'd read by the author was "The Bartender's Tale" which bears similarity to this due to the central character being a 12 year old boy. But that's where the similarity ends. Doig is a seasoned storyteller and keeps the reader engaged, spinning yarns of all types, adding bits of humor as well as bringing to light the human condition in all its forms. Donny learns firsthand how to cope with challenge and change as well as challenge in the face of mild disaster. I enjoyed the story and characters and recommend it. ( )

Buddy read with Vivian.
Told from the POV of an eleven year boy with a penchant for stretching the truth, this story follows young Donal as he leaves his ailing grandmother. He is sent by greyhound bus or dog bus to spend the summer with his Aunt Kate with the plan being to return to his grandmother right before school begins. Filled with many funny scenes and some poignant ones, the story follows the Donal, old beyond his years, through his wild summer on the road to Wisdom. Mr Doig was a true artist with the written word. Highly recommended. ( )