Mrs. Levine’s sixth grade class is preparing for Rochester, New York’s Juneteenth
competitions. Some of the students are perfecting Double Dutch routines, while others
are memorizing speeches for the Frederick Douglass oratory contest.
Lamar is struggling with his speech until Francois, the time-traveling cat, leads him and
his brother Steven on a journey to 1851 for a meeting with Frederick Douglass and an
unwanted experience on the Underground Railroad.
Finally, a class trip to Mount Hope Cemetery makes the past come alive to the students
in a way that even their teacher never would have imagined. ey meet historic gures and
pioneers of civil rights in a very strange way!