14-year-old Clay Lancaster has come all the way from Seattle to Monument Valley in Arizona, and he doesn't give up easily. He and his older brother Mike are searching for their uncle, who disappeared into this vast and colorful land Clay has seen only in movies. When Clay's brother gives up the search and heads home, Clay stays by himself, working at a remote trading post. On a tip about his uncle, he takes off with only a burro for company into the wild redrock canyons of the Navajo reservation. What awaits him is the adventure of a lifetime among the Navajos and across the Colorado into Utah, where his uncle has been trying to save the last wild horses of the Escalante Mountains. Clay meets a girl named Sarah and together they try to rescue his uncle from a desperate situation.

Awards and Honors for The Big Wander

Best Books for Young Adults, American Library Association (ALA)
Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library
Starred *review* Booklist