The Blood of Father Time, Book 1: The New Cut

Joel Biggs is twelve years old—the intelligent, brutalized, bullying son of an alcoholic father. On a walk down a sunlit Tennessee creek, Joel and his friends run afoul of a band of river pirates and come to realize they’ve gone a hundred years back in time, into unimaginable danger. Joel must use all his cunning, skill, and strength to get his friends back home.