The Tenth Trail Mark is an engaging World War 2 story about the coming-of-age story of Johnnie Grey, who went from rags to legend status. I absolutely loved the first few chapters about the gritty 11-year-old Johnnie and his courageous ways of hunting and feeding his impoverished family. A son of a deceased soldier, he inherited his father's never-say-die attitude and improvised his way to make ends meet.

I also loved the stories of camaraderie and companionship between him and Edgar Darby, a kid with similar courage and daredevilry despite coming from a privileged background. Together, they were the Tom Sawyers and Huckleberry Fins who lived a life of adventure, honing their inherent talents and one day leading their country into WW2 glory. Their Norwegian-American world ski champion and life mentor, Rolf Monsen, also has an endearing role in the book, so do Johnnie's first army mates Mineo, Hogan, and Luby - "The Snow Angels".

This is not just a book about war. It is also about the great outdoors—the mountain tops, the streams, the woods, the pine trees, skiing, camping, watching the sky, chopping wood, aloneness, and enjoying nature's bounty.

This book perfectly fits in with my favorite genres, so I am grateful and lucky to have discovered it. Despite this being Joe Looby's first book, he amazes the reader with his brilliant writing, not once sounding like a dull nonfiction third-person account. The characters and the plot come alive, and each page is memorable and captivating.

They spoke a vibrant tapestry of guttural German, lilting French, clipped English, melodic Italian, sharp Japanese, and resonant Norwegian, each tongue a foreign melody that added to the bewildering spectacle.

I loved Johnnie's squirrel hunting parts so much that I had my teen son read those chapters, and he loved them too. I hope the author gets to read my review and accept compliments from both of us. I look forward to the next exciting book by Joe Looby, and I know he has tons of book ideas in his mind. I would be thrilled to have my son (re)discover MANY of his bestselling books when he is an adult and reminisce about the time he and his father relished and enjoyed the same story years before.