Fourmile by Watt Key

This book was recommended by our school librarian, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Foster lives on a run-down farm with his dog, Joe, and his widowed mother. His mother is dating a mean, dangerous man, and Foster does not get along with him at all. Then, a stranger is walking by and ends up living in the dilapidated barn for awhile. The stranger is a former special forces soldier who seems kind and helps to fix up the farm. However, the stranger is hiding something about his past, and Foster's mother warns Foster to keep his distance from the stranger. His mother's drunken boyfriend isn't happy about the stranger staying there, and a showdown between the two men will be impossible to avoid.

The author did a nice job of developing several conflicts at once. Foster had trouble dealing with his father's death, the mom had trouble with her new relationship, and the stranger had hidden issues of his own. The drunk boyfriend added suspense to the plot. I liked how all of the characters grew and dealt with their problems, except for the boyfriend. He never learned his lesson.