Book excerpt: A historical coming-of-age tale set in a place where truth was stranger than fiction.In 1809, when his widowed mother decides to move him and his younger brother to the new Mississippi Territory, E.Z. Perkins is thrown into a dangerous new world. Their new home lies somewhere along the bloodiest road in American history-the Natchez Trace. Filled with cutthroat bandits, angry Indian warriors, and monstrous creatures, the road has earned the name "The Devil's Backbone." Bandits target E. Z. from the moment he begins the journey as he discovers one of their secrets. Throughout the chase, survival depends upon E. Z. learning which of his fears are real and which are imagined. Young adult historical fiction with themes of survival, adventure, and exploration.