Across the Lines

• Selected for the New York Library's Books for the Teen Age 1998.
• Named one of The Best Children's Books of the Year.
• Named A Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies.
• A Pick of the Decade 1995-2005.

When the Union army comes, Edward and his family leave their plantation and flee to the home of relatives in the nearby city. Simon, who had been a slave and Edward's life-long companion, is free now, and he attaches himself to the Union army. From opposite sides of the Petersburg siege lines, Simon and Edward face the hardships of war and struggle to understand the meaning of courage and freedom.

Reviews

". . . There are few Civil War books for children that explore the reality of war or the subtlety of race relations as sensitively as this involving novel . . . . With believable characters and an eventful story, this novel offers a memorable, convincing view of the Civil War through the eyes of Simon and Edward."
—From a Booklist Starred Review

"Reeder returns to the era of the Civil War for this powerful, moving story of friendship, loss, and courage. . . . There are no easy answers in this clear-eyed evocation of the cruelty and dangers of a tragic war; Reeder casts problem after problem before her young protagonists, and allows them the strength and character to fend for themselves on the way to finding solutions."
—Kirkus