nThe National Book Award finalist by Christopher Paul Curtis nn nTwelve-year-old Charlie is down on his luck: His sharecropper father just died and Capn Buck -- the most fearsome man in Possum Moan, South Carolina -- has come to collect a debt. Fearing for his life, Charlie strikes a deal with Capn Buck and agrees to track down some folks accused of stealing from the capn and his boss. Its not too bad of a bargain for Charlie... until he comes face-to-face with the fugitives and discovers their true identities. Torn between his guilty conscience and his survival instinct, Charlie needs to figure out his next move -- and soon. Its only a matter of time before Capn Buck catches on.n nn nNewbery Medalist Christopher Paul Curtis brings his trademark humor and heart to this story of a boy struggling to do right in the face of historys cruelest evils.n