Author Dee Ann Miller, with co-author Nancy Ketter, offer two versions of the same story because Nancy, as a reading specialist with more than three decades' experience, felt it immensely important to give every middle school student a chance to understand the complex political and social issues of the 19th century which strangely reverberate into our world today. She also knew how exceedingly rare it is for teachers to find the same story on two levels so that reluctant readers may study alongside their peers in the same classroom. Nancy's vision comes as a gift, both to struggling students and to their teachers.