I read this book several times while my son was doing a book report on it and was favorably impressed. HOWEVER, parents of children of broken homes may wish to pre-read this book; it could leave an impression that divorced fathers who have left the area don't really want contact, or that stepfathers are just-as-good, maybe-better, father replacements.
It is written in "layers," so that on a first reading the reader gets the plot, while on a second reading or further reflection, the reader picks up new details and shades of meaning, including the motivations and feelings of the characters.
Eight-year-old Eli misses his dad, who in reality left Washington state three years prior upon divorce for a new life in Alaska, sending a postcard every year or so. Yet Eli idealizes his dad, imagining that his dad (and his dad's new wife and baby) would love to have Eli drop in on them. As much as Eli idealizes his dad, he detests his stepfather, who is portrayed as a loving father figure.
So Eli decides to bicycle from Washington to Alaska. In one day, taking a sandwich in case he gets hungry on the way.
Just out of town, Eli is crossing the swamp on his bike when Eli falls. There right in front of him is the Swamp Man -- who, according to local child rumor, likes nothing better than torturing children. Yet the Swamp Man, by asking a few indirect questions, and using a ruse to delay Eli, not only figures out why Eli is running, but says the right things to help Eli realize there's no place like home.