Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Newbery Honor, Correta Scott King Author and Illustrator Honor, ALA Notable Children's Books, Arnold Adoff Poetry Award, Bank Street Best Books of the Year, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book, Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature. Best Multicultural Books List, Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best, ILA Notable Books for a Global Society, Kirkus Prize Finalist, Maine Student Book Award Master List, NCTE Notable Poetry List, NCTE Notable Verse Novel List, New York Public Library Best Books for Kids
Grade Level: 2nd - 5th
This book tells of the Fairchilds' Estate, and was set in the 1800s. The estate owners are Mary and Cado; Mary speaks of her husbands death. She praises him for the apprenticeship of the slaves, and in turn the estate is running well. This book shares each story of the slaves underneath their estate that were being sold alongside animals: Mulvina, Bacus, Charlotte, Stephen, Jane, Qush, Betty, Athelia, John, and Peggy. Each person has a one page poem describing their life experiences and another page of their dreams. Charlotte, 30 years old and Dora, 8 years old, worth $400 dollars. Charlotte 'jumped the broom' with Bacus and later had a child. The other slaves helped with their daughter while they worked, now Dora is weaving basket next to Charlotte. In Charlotte dreams, she speaks of her basket weaving as an outlet from the world she stays in and a reminder of home, Africa.
I would not use this book in my classroom because it is not age appropriate. However, the stories of these slaves are very touching, and it brings a sense of realness and relevance to the reader. This book could be used to provide insight and perspective to students who are unaware about the real effects of slavery. An educator could use this book as a gateway to investigate and study the real history of slaves and slave owners; this book is one case of many instances during the 1800s.
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