A scrapbook kept by a young black girl details her experiences and those of the older white woman, "Miss Bet," who had freed her and her family, sent her north from Richmond to get an education, and then worked to bring an end to slavery. Based on the life of Elizabeth Van Lew.
Mary E. Lyons is a former reading specialist and school librarian with twenty-three years of experience at all grade levels. She began sharing the lost stories of women and African Americans with young people in 1980. Now a full-time writer, her books are a way to continue what she began as a teacher. Her latest interests are Irish-American history and ancient history.
−*about the author,* [The Lyon's Den](https://lyonsdenbooks.com/aboutmel.htm).
In addition to her works for younger readers, she has also written several adult nonfiction books about the history of the Blue Ridge Railroad in Virginia.
