Usually the main character is brave and clever. Not Samuel, he is afraid of just about anything, and wants to get back to the only home he knows. Harrison, his elderly companion, is insistent that they get to Canada. Along the way, Samuel learns something about his own family, and begins to think for himself.
Starting from Kentucky in the 1850's, this Young Adult story tells of runaway slaves, the unlikely people who help them on their way, and the pervasive risks involved. ( )

This book definitely kept me interested and wanting to read it. This is her first book that was published in 2002 and Shelley Pearsall has since written some other books that I am hoping to get to at least a couple of them soon. I enjoyed the book much more than what I thought I would...It took me a little bit to finish the book because I was and am still unpacking and trying to find places for things in the new apartment {as of this post}...But if you enjoy historical fiction, especially around slavery...This book is at least worth picking up and at least taking a look at. Its an "easy read" that shouldn't take long to get through. Once I read the first page, it drew me in. :-) ( )

*SPOILERS* 11-year-old Samuel is one of Master Hackler's slaves in Kentucky in 1859. His mother was sold off and his closest adults are fellow slaves Lilly and Harrison. One night Harrison wakes Samuel in the middle of the night and they escape, hoping to reach Canada and freedom. As they move from stop to stop on the Underground Railroad, they meet whites and blacks who help them. At last they make it to Canada, reuniting with Samuel's mother who also had escaped. Harrison is Samuel's grandfather.

This book definitely kept me interested and wanting to read it. This is her first book that was published in 2002 and Shelley Pearsall has since written some other books that I am hoping to get to at least a couple of them soon. I enjoyed the book much more than what I thought I would...It took me a little bit to finish the book because I was and am still unpacking and trying to find places for things in the new apartment {as of this post}...But if you enjoy historical fiction, especially around slavery...This book is at least worth picking up and at least taking a look at. Its an "easy read" that shouldn't take long to get through. Once I read the first page, it drew me in. :-) ( )

Winner of the Scott O'Dell award for historical fiction and a Booklist editors choice. The author recreates the physical environment as the young protagonist and "Old Harrison" escape from Kentucky to head north to Canada via the Underground Railroad. These two main characters are fictional however they do come in contact with real historical figures as explained in the author's note. ( )