The Civil War South in 1863 is desperate and dangerous. For Joe, a 12-year-old boy suddenly alone and 600 mile from home, it’s a nightmare come true. This adventure story is a tale of a special friendship that only comes along once in a lifetime. Joe, who is white, and Peter, sixteen and a free Black, become unlikely friends and learn to depend on each other as they try to escape the desperate Confederate South. Follow these two as they trek through a war-torn countryside and witness war at its worst, up close and personal. They travel through a landscape that has been decimated by brutal battles, and they encounter people that have suffered the extreme hardships and depredation of three years of war. All the while they learn to depend on each other and grow a binding love as special as any two brothers. They will need each other more than they know–unknown to them, they are being pursued by a deranged killer. What others are saying: "...The triumph and terror these young boys faced during the civil war is unimaginable. I found myself cheering them on, almost crying for them. My heart broke, I laughed out loud and I was filled with anger and rage throughout the story. Not too many books can have people go through all those emotions and back again, but this one did..."-Courtney "...Two young adolescent boys, one white age 12, and one black age 16, become indelibly imprinted on your mind. Because this is a character-driven story, you laugh and you cry, you love and you hate, you react and you reflect. Gschwend's heart and soul resonate on every page. The story is action-packed. The description is superb..."-Edwynne, Librarian and Retired English Teacher "I have never been a history buff but the story held me until the last page!!! I am now waiting for the next one to find out more!!!! Great job!!"-Barbie