The Mystery of Old Man Overcoat

It's a sweltering summer in 1952. Twelve-year-old best friends Annie, a Kansas native, and Kristen, a World War II refugee from Germany, are intrigued by an eccentric old tramp who wanders about their small town in a huge army overcoat-even in July's blistering heat. They wonder who the strange man is and where he came from-and why he seems to be babbling in a foreign language-or two. Why does he pull around a cart full of castoffs and drink from the horse trough in Hay Market Square? Should they be afraid of him? They are told never to talk to strangers, so they steer clear of him, but they can't help wondering about him. By the end of summer, they will know his story.