To Young Neil Nicolson, who lived on the Isle of Skye, It was a bitter blow that the boys could no longer play their favorite game, shinty- somewhat like hockey- when school resumed in the fall. There would be no school funds available to buy the necessary sticks and balls. Neil and the other boys who played on the team planned to earn and save whatever they could tha summer to avert the disaster.
The wild beauty of Skye, the daily rhythm of island life in storm and fair weather, the unceasing labors of the sturdy people, the excitment of the annual Highland Games in which the boys compete for prize money- all are vividly pictured in this remarkably fine story by an author who herself lives on the island.
