The Sugar Camp Quilt

The Sugar Camp Quilt
by Jennifer Chiaverini
1419339001 (book on CD)

I didn't realize this was the 7th in a series. Glad I didn't, for I may not have picked it up, and it doesn't really follow the series. You don't have to read any of Ms. Chiaverini's other books to understand this one. Dorothea is a young girl asked to make a quilt by her stern uncle. She cannot imagine that his bizarre quilt will end up having such a huge impact on her life. But when he is killed, she is told the real story of the quilt- they are directions to the next stop in the Underground Railroad, which she never knew her uncle and their farm was a part of. She and her parents decide to keep up his work. The main part of the book, however, is Dorthea's story. Not the slaves and their trials. She has to learn about herself, what she's capable of, who her real friends are. She makes mistakes, she laughs at herself, and she is not perfect. I liked her. I figured out the ending just a few minutes in, but that didn't make it any less gratifying when it came about!

9/10