Into the Hornets' Nest

By Bill Cairns

How much would you sacrifice for a stranger? What if that stranger just saved your life? September, 1861. Thirteen-year-old Jesse Keane lives on a small farm two miles downstream from Camp Hunter, a Union cavalry training ground in central Illinois. His meager salary for cleaning stables and tending horses is all that keeps his mother from banning him from the camp. She doesn't want to lose another son to " Mr. Lincoln's Crusade."Jesse is crushed by the battlefield death of his older brother, but feels invisible to his grieving parents. He buries himself in his work, until the morning he falls into the creek and is rescued by Canaan, a runaway slave. Canaan has escaped north, but now wants to reunite with his family in Tennessee.Out of gratitude, and for the promise of adventure, Jesse offers to help. But the local Underground Railroad seems only concerned with spiriting slaves north. He convinces his captain at camp to employ him as a courier, which will allow Jesse to secretly scout a safe route south. Along the road to Tennessee, Jesse learns the true meaning of 'family'.Winner, SCBWI 2008 Work in Progress Grant Letter of Merit.Ideal for reluctant readers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1470152681
• ISBN13: 9781470152680
• Release Date: May 2012
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.4" x 5.3"