A moving and accessible, middle grade novel in verse, about an unlikely friendship in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Aurelia, the daughter of a once flourishing plantation, must till the land herself to keep herself alive. Libby, a freed slave, is working her way North to live a better life. Together they might just make a really good team. Aurelia ?? My hands are no longer the hands of a young lady. I drop my hoe and unwrap my bandaged fingers. They are torn, blistered and bleeding. Nails, once perfectly manicured, now dirty and broken. The hands of a field worker. Libby ?? I must find someone who will barter some eggs or a loaf of bread or a piece of meat for a day’s work. Trouble is, most plantations are either abandoned or already have too many mouths to feed.