Kate has always looked forward to her family s canal boat trips to Washington City， but this year everything has changed. Papa is dead and Mama has remarried， bringing a stepsister and stepbrother into their family. Kate s new stepfather is off fighting for the Union， and now Mama s expecting a new baby， making the trip they planned impossible.But Kate refuses to give up; her family depends on the income from the coal they haul down the C&O Canal. Kate knows every one of the 184 miles of the waterway between Cumberland， Maryland and Georgetown by heart， as well as how to steer the boat and handle the mules that pull it.But Kate can t make the trip alone. As much as she resents her stepbrother， Seth， she needs his help; so with Kate at the tiller， and Seth walking beside the mules， the two set off， risking encounters with rebels， managing the canal s locks， and hiding the fact that they are two children traveling alone. But along the way， Kate discovers that working together not only means survival， it brings the understanding that will help her belong to a real family once again.00-01 Keystone to Reading Book Award Masterlist