Book Review: The Light Across the River

Written by Stephanie Reed
Reviewed by Susan K. Marlow

Johnny Rankin can’t keep a secret. This wouldn’t be such an issue if his family (the true-life Rankin family of Ripley, Ohio) were not involved in the Underground Railroad. Johnny’s “loose tongue” could endanger many lives. Oh, how he wants to help lead slaves to freedom in Canada! But he simply cannot be trusted to keep his mouth shut.

Then one day he is called upon to help a woman and her baby escape. He learns of her incredible crossing over the half-frozen Ohio River and lets the story slip to none other than Harriet Beecher Stowe. Will Johnny’s indiscretion be the cause of Eliza’s capture and return to slavery?  

Set between the years 1837-1841, The Light Across the River gives readers a fresh look at the incredible story of the slave Eliza, who was immortalized in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the book that set a nation aflame just before the Civil War. Chapters switch points of view between Johnny Rankin and Eliza, and tell the “story behind the story” of not only Eliza’s escape but also how she returns for her family, aided by the Rankin family. The author’s in-depth portrayal of Johnny and his family is laced with true-life accounts, gleaned from the journals Johnny wrote later in life.

The Light Across the River has everything I love to see in historical fiction—history, action, suspense, and adventure—all nicely blended in a page-turning story of real people living out their conviction. I highly recommend this book not only for the “tween” audience, but for older readers as well.

Susan K. Marlow is author of the Circle C Adventure Series geared for tweens. Andrea Carter and the San Francisco Smugglers is a featured book in The Great Escape 2009. You can find more information about her at http://www.susankmarlow.com.