Dear Austin: Letters From The Underground Railroad

Summary

In 1853, young Levi and his friends, Possum and Jupiter, create a daredevil's club.  They attempt to outrun bulls, jump off cliffs, and investigate strange occurrences in their small Pennsylvania town.  The mood shifts from humor of boyhood scrapes to tragedy when Jupiter's little sister, Darcy, is captured by slave traders.  Jupiter and Levi head south to find her.  This journey is a eye-opening experience for the two.  The action unfolds through his letters to his brother Austin; these range from laugh-out-loud funny to poignant.  Powerful emotion are subtly and expertly conveyed, from Levi's amusing embarrassment in dancing class, to his guilt for Darcy's kidnapping, to his horror at the slave auction.