'On your honor?' Joel's father said. 'You won't go anywhere except the park?'
'On my honor,' Joel repeated. On the way to the park, Joel's best friend Tony challenges him to take a swim in the treacherous Vermillion River. Both boys have been warned never to go near the river, but Joel gives in. He doesn't want Tony to think he's scared. It isn't until Tony disappears that Joel comes to a terrible realization--Tony can't swim. Joel dives repeatedly in search of his friend, but with no luck. Back at home, the stentch of the river grows strong on Joel's skin as he wonders what to do. Pressures mount from the outside, and from within. People are beginning to ask questions about Tony while Joel, weighed down by a profound sense of guilt, gropes for the courage to tell the truth. In a narrative filled with action and conflict, Marion Dane Bauer treats moral issues with the same power and sensitivity she displayed in her earlier books, Rain of Fire and Shelter from the Wind. Recommended for ages 12 and up. A 1987 Newbery Honor book.
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