The story opens as young Hope is presented with the gift a a conch shell from her father as he says goodbye before running away to fight for the North to help bring an end to slavery during the American Civil War.  It goes on to tell how this shell becomes a symbol of hope for her as she misses her father and worries about him for over two years as they wait to gain their freedom. I had a hard time deciding how to rate this one: it’s a nice little story with nice illustrations, but I still don’t think I can really go so far as to recommend it, as it seems a rather sanitized story to tell about such an ugly, brutal time in American history.