Fourteen-year-old Francis Tucket is heading west on the Oregon Trail with his family by wagon train. When he receives a rifle for his birthday, he is thrilled that he is being treated like an adult. But Francis lags behind to practice shooting and is captured by Pawnees. It will take wild horses, hostile tribes, and a mysterious one-armed mountain man named Mr. Grimes to help Francis become the man who will be called Mr. Tucket. "A real knock 'em, sock 'em ripsnorter...Superb characterizations, splendidly evoked setting, and thrill-a-minute plot make this book a joy to gallop through." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred "A real knock 'em, sock 'em ripsnorter...Superb characterizations, splendidly evoked setting, and thrill-a-minute plot make this book a joy to gallop through." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred Fourteen-year-old Francis Tucket is heading west on the Oregon Trail with his family by wagon train. When he receives a rifle for his birthday, he is thrilled that he is being treated like an adult. But Francis lags behind to practice shooting and is captured by Pawnees. It will take wild horses, hostile tribes, and a mysterious one-armed mountain man named Mr. Grimes to help Francis become the man who will be called Mr. Tucket. Fourteen-year-old Francis Tucket is heading west on the Oregon Trail with his family by wagon train. When he receives a rifle for his birthday, he is thrilled that he is being treated like an adult. But Francis lags behind to practice shooting and is captured by Pawnees. It will take wild horses, hostile tribes, and a mysterious one-armed mountain man named Mr. Grimes to help Francis become the man who will be called Mr. Tucket. Gary Paulsen is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people, including three Newbery Honor books: The Winter Room , Hatchet , and Dogsong . His novel The Haymeadow received the Western Writers of America Golden Spur Award. Among his most recent novels are Soldier's Heart and The Transall Saga . He and his wife, the painter Ruth Wright Paulsen, have homes in New Mexico and on the Pacific Ocean.