Tracey Porter has been praised for this Dickensian tale, which some critics compare to Huck Finn both in style and substance. Billy Creekmore longs to escape the Guardian Angels Home for Boys, where his smarts cause him more trouble than anything. So when a long-lost uncle shows up to whisk Billy away to the West Virginia coal mines, he jumps at the chance. But his journey is just beginning-before long, Billy hitches a ride with a traveling circus. "Porter's writing is strong, and the story ... makes the shocking history ... come alive for today's readers."-Booklist, starred review