Book Description: The red brick home of Rev. John Rankin is a beacon—the first northern stop on the Underground Railroad. Across the Ohio River in Kentucky, every slave knows to look for it. They have heard that if they reach that house, they will never be captured. Across the Wide River tells the true story of the selfless sacrifices one Christian family made to help runaway slaves reach freedom.
My Review: In Across the Wide River by Stephanie Reed we meet Lowry a sweet and compassionate nine year old who is the son of a minister.
Lowry's father wants to move his family from the hills of Kentucky to the rolling plains of Ohio. At first Lowry isn't sure that he wants to move. He loves Kentucky. But when his family moves to Ohio he quickly adjusts and meets new people.
Slavery has become quite an issue. Some folks don't care if a "colored person" wants to go to college to become a doctor while other white folks think that if their kids can't go to college then a colored buy shouldn't go either.
Lowry becomes involved in helping fugitive slaves escape and make it to freedom. But along the way he meets some mighty mean and hateful rascals. One of those mean rascals is Mr. Biggerman, a salve hunter. Mr. Biggerman and his henchman stop Lowry and demand to know where and what he's been doing. Mr. Biggerman basically accuses Lowry of helping salves to escape. Lowry isn't quite sure what to say. So, Lowry says nothing - not.a.word! And Mr. Biggerman leaves him alone taking his henchman with him. Sometimes saying nothing at all simply says it all!
This is a fast, smooth read. A wonderful, historical novel based on a true story.
*This book was provided for review by Kregel Publishing*
The Sequel
About the Author:
During her childhood, Stephanie Reed's family would
often pass through Ripley on their way to her grandparents'
home. The signs she read there about the Rankin house
were what prompted her to write this story. After working
for nearly a decade with the Dayton Metro Library,
Stephanie is currently a volunteer spotter for the
National Weather Service. She lives with her husbandand two children in Dublin, Ohio.
Thank you, Tammy! It's so cool to see the parts of Wide River that appeal most to people. Sometimes it's hard to believe that saying nothing has a place in our lives, huh? I'm so glad you liked getting to know Lowry.
ReplyDeleteIf you and your readers want to read free samples of Across the Wide River and The Light Across the River, they can find the first two chapters of each here: http://bit.ly/rdRKvp
Thanks for shaing your blog readers with me.