Caleb's Choice (Puffin Novel)
Grade 4-8?When hard times hit Caleb's family in 1858, his father heads for Galveston to try to reestablish himself, and the boy and his mother go to live with his mother's wealthy Aunt Alma. His stay there is brief?the fallout from a cruel prank played on Caleb gets him sent to his paternal grandmother, who welcomes him with open arms. But things change forever when he is nearly killed in a flash flood before being rescued by a fugitive slave. By mistake, Caleb learns that his grandmother and his cousin are part of a network that helps runaways get to the free Kansan Territory, and Caleb must decide whether or not to help the two runaways who are now stranded between stations. The story is fast paced and filled with details that illuminate a  less well-known escape route than the Underground Railroad. Unfortunately, some of the characters, especially the "bad guys," come across as little more than plot devices. Caleb, in contrast, is well drawn, with understandably ambiguous feelings toward slavery. His hesitation to help because it is against the law is balanced with his first inklings of what right and wrong really mean. The ending comes somewhat abruptly, but is surprising. All in all, this is a solid piece of historical fiction written in a pleasantly authentic-sounding first-person narrative that succeeds in being folksy without being hokey.?Carrie Schadle, New York Public LibraryCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.