The book is written in the form of a journal kept by Catherine Hall, a young girl living in a rural village in New England with her widower father and younger sister.

She has three brothers: David Horatio (two years older), Asa Hale (Catherine's age), and William Mason, the baby.

At the time of the book's publication, Kirkus Reviews said, "The tone is suitably restrained, and the language, which means to mimic accurately the speech and writing patterns of the period, is so awkwardly formal at times that to follow it the reader must be sharply attentive.

The reward is a warm and interesting glimpse into a past way of life dependent on the close society of neighbors, friends, and family.

"[2] In a retrospective essay about the Newbery Medal-winning books from 1976 to 1985, literary critic Zena Sutherland wrote, "Catherine's journal shows her reflection of diverse viewpoints about runaway slaves, and it makes reference to recorded history; but the details that indicate historical research on the author's part are never obtrusive, and they do not dominate the story by clogging the narrative flow.