Mavericks

&quote;Old Jake Hanlon sits on the edge of the mesa and looks out over miles of southwestern plain,&quote; starts Jack Schaefer's all-ages novel Mavericks. Old Jake Hanlon is &quote;ancient and craglike, weathered and withered . . . something like a worn rocky butte himself.&quote; Living in his memories, Hanlon prefers to reflect on his youth, when he lived every cowboy's dream, rather than think about the old man he has become, now labeled &quote;a decrepit old nuisance&quote; by the folks in town. Ultimately, it is Old Jake's recollection of the tales of his past-stories of endurance, strength, compassion, and cunning-that helps prepare him for death.