From Publishers Weekly When Lois discovers a diary and a human skeleton in a hidden room， she learns that her house was a station on the Underground Railroad; scenes alternate between 1856 and the present. Ages 8-12. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition. From School Library Journal Grade 6-8?Dana， 12， is helping her parents to restore an old house in Kansas as a bed-and-breakfast when she discovers a boarded-up room containing a human skeleton. With it， she finds the diary of Millicent Weaver， a Quaker and early resident of the house. She learns that the house was a stop on the Underground Railroad， and that runaway slaves were taken there by a former slave， Lizbet Charles. Of course， Miz Lizbet is Dana's skeleton， and the cause of her death at the age of 25 is finally revealed at the end of the novel. The story is told in alternating chapters， shifting between the present and 1856， when the events involving the long-dead young woman took place. The best developed character is young James Weaver， who struggles with his family's philosophy of nonviolence and with the secrets he must keep. The historical sections flow together well， revealing aspects of Miz Lizbet's life， which in some ways resembles Harriet Tubman's. The Weavers use traditional Quaker speech， liberally sprinkled with thee and thou. The modern-day scenes are somewhat less successful， and some of the conversations among the young people are a bit contrived. Still， the book will make a nice addition to historical fiction collections about pre-Civil War events.?Bruce Anne Shook， Mendenhall Middle School， Greensboro， NCCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information， Inc. See all Editorial Reviews"