"An absorbing mystery (about a Negro boy's house, once part of the Underground Railroad), enriched with perceptive insights into certain aspects of the Negro American's heritage."--"Booklist." An ALA Notable Children's Book. A "School Library Journal" Best of the Best. Winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award.

The recipient of nearly every major award and honor in her field, including the 1992 Hans Christian Andersen Award, Virginia Hamilton (1934–2002) was the first African American woman to be awarded the Newbery Medal, for M.C. Higgins, the Great. Renowned as a storyteller, anthologist, and lecturer as well as a novelist, Ms. Hamilton made her home in Yellow Springs, Ohio.