Coming of age on an Oregon ranch

Two seemingly unrelated settings - the Iraq War and a sheep ranch in Oregon - come together in Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry. Sixth-grader Ignatius (nicknamed "Brother") is the youngest of five boys. His dad gets deployed to Iraq, and since his mom lives in Europe and all of the other boys are either away at school or in the service, it's up to Brother to run the ranch with his elderly grandparents. The story is told in Brother's voice, and it chronicles a year of his hard work and struggles as he tries to keep everything in good shape for his father's return. It was interesting to see how thoughts of war came into his life, from the play conversation his chess pieces have to the boys vs. girls action at recess, and description of events on the ranch (birthing a calf, fighting a wildfire) kept my attention, too. My favorite part was when Brother decided want he wants to be when he grows up - not what I expected, but totally fitting.