Promises to the Dead - by Mary Downing Hahn (Paperback)

About the Book

A white boy helps a black child escape slavery in the midst of the Civil War

Book Synopsis

When Jesse went down to the marsh on that fateful day, he expected to find a turtle for terrapin soup. Instead, he comes across a dying slave woman who makes Jesse promise he'll take her young son, Perry, to a relative in Baltimore. Aiding and abetting a slave is against the law, and it also goes against everything Jesse has been taught to believe. But he can't break a promise to the dead, and, more important, he has to follow what he knows in his heart to be right. The journey is more treacherous than Jesse ever imagined. At the crossroads of a country about to plunge into civil war, danger lurks around every corner. Will these boys on the run ever find a safe haven? Includes an author's note.

Review Quotes

"an involving story that raises many of the issues that led to the Civil War" --School Library Journal

"Hahn has a marvelous touch when it comes to manipulating her story and heightening the tension in a way that keeps readers on the edge of their seats." --Booklist, ALA

"fast-moving, exciting" --Children's Book Review Service --

About the Author

MARY DOWNING HAHN is the award-winning author of many popular ghost stories and mysteries, including Deep and Dark and Dangerous and The Old Willis Place. A former librarian, an avid reader, traveler, and all-around arts lover, Ms. Hahn lives in Columbia, Maryland with her two cats, Oscar and Rufus.www.MaryDowningHahnBooks.com