Showing The Candle Star by Michelle Isenhoff

Runaways hidden in the barn, slave catchers housed in the hotel, and Emily squeezed between two very different loyalties.

After a tantrum, Emily Preston is shipped from her plantation home to her inn-keeping uncle in Detroit. There she meets Malachi, son of freed slaves, who challenges many ideas she grew up believing. But when Emily stumbles upon two runaways hidden in her uncle's barn, she finds that old ways die hard. And Mr. Burrows, the charming Southern slave catcher, is only yards away, lodged in the hotel.

A powerful story abounding in rich imagery, pathos, and beautifully turned phrases, The Candle Star also contains an abundance of accurate pre-American Civil War-era context, including:

*slavery
*the Underground Railroad
*Detroit history
*the economy of both North and South
*the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
*each side's contributions to the start of war
*and American geography

The Candle Star is an ideal accompaniment to an American History social studies course or simply a stirring tale for young readers interested in stories of bygone days.

The Divided Decade Collection includes three stand alone stories that view the American Civil War through three different lenses. All are set within Michigan. The Candle Star features the Underground Railroad. Blood of Pioneers illustrates the trials faced on the rural homefront after the menfolk leave for war. And Beneath the Slashings is set within a Northern lumber camp filled with returning soldiers. The books can be read out of order or read alone, depending on the theme that most interests the reader (or most closely relates to a classroom curriculum). All three have been highly acclaimed by teachers and home schoolers. Each has lesson plans and additional resources available.