Troy and Toad is a Huckleberry Finn for the twenty-first century. For eleven-year-old Troy Knotme, life is not a game. It is a daily struggle to survive. After an IED took his father's life in Iraq, Troy's mom has married Big Mike, an abusive, alcoholic stepfather who thrives on beating her and torturing Troy. The boy sleeps naked on the floor of the bedroom closet at night. Even at school, Troy endures the daily taunts of his teachers and the bullying of Darryl, the local gang leader. The future promises to be nothing more than a continuous repetition of the painful past. It seems like an endless cycle, a hopeless life.

But is it?Ever optimistic, Toad is a facially scarred, homeless man who lives by his wits. One side of his face looks like old tissue paper that would tear at the slightest touch. His tongue constantly flicks out to the side of his mouth. The clothes he wears are the discards that others refuse to touch. When he is looked upon, people hate Toad for his appearance. But Toad is more than the odor that precedes him or the scars that define him. He is a teacher, a philosopher, a guide.