Mama said that if someone’s putting ugliness into the world, you can’t be ugly back; you gotta put a little bit of sunshine into the world to even things out.” Joseph Johnson, a 12 year old orphan, living in the 1890s lost his mama and little sister to sickness and his papa to an accident. He remembers the lessons his parents taught him as he journeys across the northwest to recover his pony that was sold by an unsavory man that had no right. His pony was the only thing Joseph had left that he loved. As he searches for his pony, he meets a Chinese boy, Ah-Kee, who’s searching for his Papa. Working together the two face many obstacles, from unkind people, to going down the rapids, to helping a woman in labor! They do not give up. His Papa said, “... when there's something that’s got to be done, the thing to do is just buckle down and do it the best you can.”

“There weren’t no point in giving up.” Joseph and Ah-Kee meet trouble head on. What an inspiration for us all! We, like Joseph, can do hard things.

Saddle up with Kate and Sheila as they discuss Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemienhart. Will Joseph’s quest lead him to his beloved horse? Will Ah-Kee be able to reunite with his father? Happy Reading, dear listeners!