James wasn't excited to go to school--everything outside was loud and exciting, but the classroom was dark and dreary. Luckily, his teacher Reverend John Meacham wasn't so bad. He shared stories about being enslaved, buying his freedom, and building a life.

"We make our own light here," he said.

Until the day the school was shut down by a law forbidding African American education in Missouri. What could James do? Reverend John Berry Meachum didn't give up though. With steamboats swaying on the Mississippi River, and a spirit of determination, the Reverend found a loophole--what if the school wasn't in Missouri?

Based on true events, Ron Husband's uplifting illustrations bring to life Deborah Hopkinson's tale of a resourceful, determined teacher; his bright, inquisitive students; and their refusal to accept discrimination based on the color of their skin.