Those who have read Time
and Again and Unclaimed Legacy know
that Abby Thomas is a college student on a summer service project with
11-year-old Merri. And they know that the summer is not going the way Abby had
expected--but in a good way. For one thing, she meets a very nice guy named John
Roberts. And for another, she discovers a strange computer program
called Beautiful House that lets her fast-forward and rewind life.
Not her own, of course, but those of the people who lived in Merri's old house.
And the Old Dears' old house, and...well, any old house.
And since the program worked so well for the Old Dears' family
tree project, Abby's college roommate Kate hopes it will help her find out more
about her ancestor Ned Greenfield. And Kate's fiancé Ryan thinks the program
has lucrative commercial potential.
Abby and John reluctantly agree to help Kate, but only on
the condition that she and Ryan promise to keep the program a secret, because
if it fell into the wrong hands...well, no one wants Big Brother invading their
privacy.
The two couples take a trip to the tiny town of Equality,
set in the hills of southern Illinois and the breath-taking Shawnee National
Forest. According to Kate's research, Ned Greenfield was born there at a place
called Hickory Hill.
The mayor, police chief, and townspeople are hospitable and
helpful--until the topic of Hickory Hill comes up. They seem determined to keep
them away, telling them, "There's nothing there for you to see."
Eventually they find Hickory Hill on their own--both the
mansion and the lonely hill it sits upon. Built in 1834, Hickory Hill stands
sentinel over Half Moon Salt Mine where the original owner John Granger
accumulated his blood-tainted fortune.
Abby and her friends meet Miss Granger, Hickory Hill's
current eccentric owner, and they eventually get the chance to time-surf there.
Their shocking discovery on the third floor concerning Kate's ancestor Ned
Greenfield is almost too much to bear. What they learn sends them racing to the
opposite end of the state to find the missing link in Kate's family tree. And
there they are reminded that God is in the business of redemption--that one day
he'll make all things new.
KEY WORDS: time travel, coming of age, underground railroad, slavery, civil war, mystery, young adult fiction
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