What is it like to grow up during the Depression on a small Georgia farm, where there is no electricity and the nearest paved road is miles away? For Tyler, Wilkin, and Skee, the Coley boys, it means they do morning chores when most kids in town are still asleep, and they get practical things for Christmas, such as overalls, instead of toys.

But country kids like Tyler, Wilkin, and Skee have their share of fun. Whether playing kick-the-can and handy-over, raising a prize calf, or visiting a neighbor for an evening of singing and blackbottom pie, they are never short of ways to amuse themselves. And they know work is easier when it's turned into a game.

Robert Burch's novel of one year in the lives of these brothers who are also best friends is rich in details of a way of life that is still followed in many areas of the rural South. From their speech and dress to the ways they spend their days and nights to the matters close to their hearts, Burch's characters are genuine in every way.