Soon Be Free

From the Publisher
"Why do weird things always happen to me?"

Dana thought she had solved all the historical mysteries in her parents' house in Lawrence, Kansas. But now that her parents have turned the house into a bed-and-breakfast, Dana isn't so sure. Their first guests, the Burks, are a suspicious couple who snoop where they shouldn't, searching for a secret document linked to the Weavers, a Quaker family who lived in the house almost 150 years ago when the house was a stop on the Underground Railroad.

As Dana combs the house for the hidden document, the story unfolds of thirteen-year-old James Baylor Weaver and his journey in 1857 to bring four slaves to freedom. James's travels will not only change his life but will bring about a horrible choice -- one that holds the key to the mystery Dana must solve before the Burks. Will she find the document in time?

From the Critics
From Publishers Weekly  
A companion to Steal Away Home, this book alternates between a present-day mystery set in a bed-and-breakfast and a historical adventure about a 13-year-old-boy who aids four runaway slaves in 1857. Ages 8-12. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
 
From Publisher's Weekly - Publishers Weekly  
The ill-starred pioneer family of Mary Jane Auch's Journey to Nowhere and Frozen Summer returns in The Road to Home. This installment, set in 1817, finds 13-year-old Remembrance Nye leading her younger siblings back from upstate New York to their grandmother's house in Connecticut. (Holt, $16.95 ages 9-12 ISBN 0-8050-4921-5; July) A companion to Steal Away Home, Lois Ruby's Soon Be Free alternates between a present-day mystery set in a bed-and-breakfast and a historical adventure about a 13-year-old boy who aids four runaway slaves in 1857. (S&S, $17 ages 8-12 ISBN 0-689-83266-4; Aug.) THE TEDDY BEARS' PICNIC Jimmy Kennedy, illus. by Alexandra Day. S&S/Aladdin, $5.99 ISBN 0-689-83530-2. ~ The illustrator of Good Dog, Carl creates a cozy woodland gathering of cuddly bears, inspired by a favorite song. Ages 3-6. (June) BLAZE FINDS THE TRAIL C.W. Anderson. S&S/Aladdin, $4.99 ISBN 0-689-83520-5. ~ Originally published in 1950, this story of Billy and his adventures exploring the forest with his pony is available in paperback for the first time, complete with colorized cover art. Three more Blaze books previously available only in hardcover will follow. Ages 5-8. (July) ~ SECRET LETTERS FROM 0 TO 10 Susie Morgenstern, trans. by Gill Rosner. Puffin, $4.99 ISBN 0-14-130819-2. ~ "Set in France and wrought with energy and wit, this chronicle of a deprived young man whose life is turned topsy-turvy with a new neighbor's arrival is not to be missed," wrote PW in a starred review. Ages 8-12. (Aug.) THE BOXES William Sleator. Puffin, $4.99 ISBN 0-14-130810-9. ~ This tale of a girl who, like Pandora, is given not one but two boxes she is forbidden to open, is filled with the author's "signature high-style ick and suspense," said PW. Ages 8-12. (Aug.) THE MARVELOUS MISADVENTURES OF SEBASTIAN Lloyd Alexander. Puffin, $4.99 ISBN 0-14-130816-8. ~ Spiced with the author's unique brand of wit, this winner of the 1971 National Book Award follows a young adventurer with good intentions through disaster after disaster. Ages 10-14. (July) REACHING DUSTIN Vicki Grove. Puffin, $5.99 ISBN 0-698-11839-1. ~ PW called this "a heartfelt story that unmasks the vulnerabilities of two preadolescents from very different walks of life." Ages 10-up. (Aug.) SOMEONE LIKE YOU Sarah Dessen. Puffin, $4.99 ISBN 0-14-130269-0. ~ PW said this "realistic portrayal of contemporary teens and their moral challenges breathes fresh life into well-worn themes of rebellion and first love." Ages 12-up. (June) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
 
From Children's Literature  
Ruby has given us two booksinone in alternating chapters: a historically intriguing account of a young Quaker conductor on the Underground Railway, and a less involving mystery of a contemporary girl trying to find out the significance of her parents' bed and breakfast. The stories come together because the thirteenyearold conductor, James Baylor Weaver, lived in the house that Dana Shannon's parents now rent out as lodging. Their first two visitors, however, are obnoxious and sneaky. The Berks are turning the house upside down searching for documents that would give them ownership of Kansas property that rightfully belongs to the Delaware Indians. Dana becomes involved in the mystery when she tries to find out what the Berks are looking for and how it connects to the skeleton of a runaway slave, Lizbeth Charles, found in her parents' backyard. The book works best in its historical chapters because the reader comes to care deeply about the Kentucky slave family that James leads to the Kansas border. James also is handed a very complicated decision, one in which he must choose whether to trade land for human freedom, or respect the land rights of Native people, who were, again, being cheated by whites. It is this choice that ties James to the future Dana, but Dana's investigations don't have nearly the ethical weight of James' life or death decisions. However, between the two separate story lines, there is enough entertainment to satisfy lovers of history and devotees of mystery, so all readers should be happy. 2000, Simon and Schuster for Young Readers, Ages 11 to 14, $17.00. Reviewer: Lois Rubin Gross
 
From VOYA  
Thirteen-year-old Dana Shannon lives in what was once the Weaver family's home in Lawrence, Kansas, now known as the Firebird Bed & Breakfast. The house is virtually the same as it was in 1857, when thirteen-year-old James Baylor Weaver lived there and when Kansas was just a territory. The first guests to arrive at the newly opened B & B are an odd couple who ask too many questions and sneak around late at night looking for a mysterious document that is linked somehow to the Delaware Indians. In this sequel to Steal Away Home (Macmillan, 1994/VOYA April 1995), the story of runaway slaves mingles with the fate of the Lenni Lenape Indians, as two teenagers from different centuries become caught up in the mystery. The author alternates chapters about the Weavers in 1857, when the home was a stop on the Underground Railway, with the present, as Dana tries to uncover the connection between runaway slaves and the Delaware tribe. James, his friend Will, and a free Negro named Solomon travel hundreds of miles to Kentucky to bring four slaves to freedom in Kansas. The journey takes Will's life and tests James's strength, courage, and character, when he must choose between betraying the slaves who have grown as close to him as family, or an Indian tribe. This title is both an intriguing contemporary mystery and an exciting historical novel. The author accurately depicts Lawrence, the Kansas Territory, and historical events in the mid-1850s, including the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Underground Railroad, and the Dred Scott decision. This novel is sure to join Steal Away Home on the sixth-grade reading list in Lawrence, Kansas, as well as many other cities. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most,marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2000, Simon & Schuster, Ages 12 to 15, 320p, $17. Reviewer: Anne Liebst
 
From School Library Journal  
Gr 4-7-This is a disappointing sequel to Steal Away Home (Macmillan, 1994), which told the exciting story of Dana Shannon's discovery of a skeleton in the closet-the body of Miz Lizbet Charles, a runaway slave hidden in her house, which was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. As this book opens, a mysterious stranger is snooping around, trying to dig up the yard by the house, which Dana's parents have converted into a bed-and-breakfast. Dana, now 13, enlists her friends' help to uncover the man's identity and mission. As this contemporary story unfolds, alternating chapters tell the story of James Baylor Weaver, who lived in the house in the 1850s, and who became a well-known architect. With all of the material the author tries to incorporate-the bloody struggle in Kansas between free- and slave-state factions, courageous runaway slaves, a dangerous journey-the plot is overloaded. At the last minute, an important subplot surfaces, adding to the crowded and confusing cast of characters. None of the figures emerges as fully realized or even believable and the modern story is further weighted down by stereotypes and dialogue that tries too hard to be hip and fun. Virginia Hamilton's House of Dies Drear (Macmillan, 1968) and Jennifer Armstrong's Steal Away (Scholastic, 1993) are just two titles that tell similar tales more effectively.-Cyrisse Jaffee, formerly at Newton Public Schools, MA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.