Twelve-year-old Jeremiah “Jem” Coulter knows that Goldtown, California, has seen the last of the gold rush. But the flecks of gold he and an old prospector, “Strike,” find in their played-out claim on Cripple Creek spur Jem’s hope of striking it rich. In the meantime, he and his sister, Ellie, sell frog legs and firewood to bring in extra cash.

When Jem’s father accepts a job as sheriff of lawless Goldtown, Jem is suddenly saddled with an additional responsibility--to run their broken-down ranch. He faces a hard path as he tries to be a man and make his father proud, but then Cripple Creek mysteriously dries up and Strike suddenly disappears. Jem is determined to find out why. Can anything be worse than being a sheriff’s kid? Will outlaws use his father’s badge for target practice? Is that silver star just a target . . . or truly a badge of honor?