*Starred Review* Growing up African American in St. Louis in 1847, James isn't sure he wants to attend school, though he likes and respects his teacher, Reverend John. One day, the sheriff and his men burst into their basement schoolroom, enforcing a new Missouri law prohibiting the instruction of negroes or mulattoes to read or write. As James says in the vivid first-person narrative, Funny how something you don't care much about at first can end up becoming the most important part of you. Circumventing the law by teaching school on a steamboat in the Mississippi River, beyond the state's jurisdiction, the reverend inspires James with his hard work, ingenuity, and courage. The boy's attitude shifts gradually and convincingly until, on the last page, he imagines himself carrying on the school someday. Hopkinson tells the story with clarity, economy, and grace, and backs it up with an interesting author's note and well-chosen resources for further reading. Husband's expressive illustrations, cross-hatched black-ink drawings warmed mainly with sepia tones, create effective character portrayals and a strong sense of drama. Making good use of light, shadow, and perspective, the pictures show up well from a distance, a useful quality in picture books for classroom reading. Creative, thought-provoking historical fiction.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist

Hopkinson's story based on true events introduces former slave John Meachum's important achievement. In 1847 St. Louis, narrator James's school in the church basement is shut down by a Missouri law prohibiting African American education. Reverend John's brilliant workaround moves the school out of state--to a steamboat on the Mississippi River. Husband's crosshatched art captures moving small details. Author's note included. Reading list, websites. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A passion for education and freedom brings subversive ingenuity to life in 1847 St. Louis.James' mother scrubs his face clean for his first day of "Tallow Candle School" in the basement of Rev. John's church. Though initially resistant, once James realizes that Rev. John teaches children to read, he goes eagerly. "We make our own light here," the preacher tells him. Hopkinson reveals John Barry Meachum's true history through the stories he tells the children of being born a slave (in 1789 in Virginia) and working in the saltpeter mines to purchase his own freedom and that of both parents, then walking hundreds of miles to liberate his wife. (The backmatter also reveals that Meachum bought and freed several other slaves.) When the police burst into the school to inform Rev. John that Missouri has passed a law forbidding blacks, slave or free, to read, he stops teaching temporarily. With James' help, he uses his carpentry skills to build a steamboat on the Mississippifederal propertyin which his students can learn freely. This fascinating story, illustrated in pen and ink with a color palette of browns and blacks with occasional pops of blue and red, draws readers into the historical era effectively and emphasizes what a privilege literacy was for African-Americans in the 19th century.An unforgettable story that needs to be known. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Hopkinson (Courage & Defiance) offers a graceful fictional recounting of a St. Louis minister's courageous and clever response to a 1847 Missouri law that prohibited the education of African-Americans. A former slave who worked tirelessly to buy his freedom (as well as that of his parents, wife, and children), John Berry Meachum ran a secret school for black children in his church basement. In this reimagining, new student James complains about the darkness of the school, which is illuminated only by a candle. "We make our own light here," replies Meachum. After the sheriff closes the school, Meachum builds a steamboat that his students help scrub and paint, then opens a new-and legal-school on the vessel, moored midriver on federal property. The determination of Reverend John and the children radiates from longtime Disney animator Husband's elegant illustrations, finely crosshatched in ink and colored in muted blues, reds, and browns. Gentle yet forceful, it's an affecting tribute to an unsung crusader for equal rights and education. Closing notes provide details about Meachum's life and Hopkinson's research. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gr 1-4-James, his sister, and his mother, a laundress, are free blacks living in Missouri in the 1840s, but being free does not give them equal rights. James and his sister attend school in the basement of a church. The secretive space is lit only by candles, but Reverend John, the teacher, tells James, "We make our own light here." A state law passed in 1847, however, makes it illegal to have any kind of school for "negroes or mulattoes," slave or free. Historical fiction based on the life of John Berry Meachum, the story describes how Reverend John got around the law by building a steamboat and holding classes on the Mississippi River, which was considered federal property. Husband, the first African American animator at Disney Studios, creates expressive illustrations that have the look and feel of the time period. Rendered mostly in brown and black tones, his detailed, cross-hatching style has the appearance of pen and ink. An author's note shares more of Meachum's life, describing how he worked in a mine to make enough money to buy freedom for himself and his father. Walking from Kentucky to Missouri, Meachum then worked as a carpenter and cooper in order to purchase his wife's and children's freedom. VERDICT Full of action and accomplishment, the story of James and Reverend John will impress and inspire readers. A powerful, well-written story to share with a class or with proficient readers.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.