Mudball Sam — James D. Yoder

Pa wouldn't leave me, Ma, and Wanetta alone on this prairie, would he? With rain clouds approaching, Sam leads his mother and sister to a dug out in the creek bank. Wolf howls chill their hearts during the stormy night. Soon Sam and his family move into a sod house. Sam digs in to help his family survive. A bully picks fights with him and calls him Mudball Sam. Inspired by his mother's Quaker faith, Sam learns to forgive and win friends. He struggles to live with hope as he contends with thievery, floods, and false charges brought against him at a threshing fire. With the help of his faithful mother and sister, Sam wades through near-overwhelming challenges toward a life of joy and fulfillment.