"Reading is freedom," Hannah's mother has always told her. "The thoughts in books are powerful strong, stronger even than chains," her father has said. One sharp knock at midnight, then a double thump. Impulsive, imaginative Amanda loves to read and playact, but this noise is real. Outside, her father is unloading a wagon. Out of the sacks come a man, a woman holding a sleeping baby, and Hannah, a tall, thin girl about Amanda's age--runaway slaves! Suddenly Amanda's life is full of danger. Her house, she discovers that night, is a stop on the Underground Railroad. But she also discovers a rare friend in Hannah. Courageous and determined, Hannah longs to be free in every way she can, including the freedom that comes with literacy. And headstrong Amanda is willing to risk everything to help her. Set a decade before the Civil War, this moving story crackles with suspense and says as much about the power of words as it does about the power of friendship.