The Black Bonnet [Paperback]

Louella Bryant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 1995

As they near the end of their journey to freedom along the Underground Railroad, twelve-year-old Charity and her sixteen-year-old sister Bea encounter additional perils.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up. Charity and her older sister, Bea, are near the end of their journey along the Underground Railroad from Virginia to Montreal. They settle in at a "station" in Burlington, Vermont, to recover their health and to prepare for the last leg of their trip. As readers are drawn into the story, it is revealed that Charity's father is a plantation owner and that Bea is expecting the child of another white farmer. The young women make friends among the conductors' families and their fellow runaways. Burlington is crawling with slave hunters, and danger is imminent. Charity, because she is so light-skinned, goes into town wearing a black bonnet that ostensibly provides enough protection to allow her to "pass" as white. Bryant cleverly weaves real-life railroad conductors, such as Lucius Bigelow and Edward Peck, into the narrative, as well as famous escaped slaves, such as Harriet Tubman. Although the novel is suspenseful, some youngsters may have difficulty with the graphic descriptions of violence, some of which seems forced; the unrealistic plot elements; and the tension that arises from Charity's unnecessary adventures into "white" society. It is disturbing and preposterous that a fair-skinned former slave would parade through the streets directly in front of mercenary slave catchers.?Lucinda Lockwood, Thomas Haney Secondary School, Maple Ridge, BC
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5^-7. Charity and her older sister, Bea, have traveled by way of the Underground Railroad as far as Burlington, Vermont, when they must rest from their arduous journey. Bea has dark skin, but Charity is light-skinned enough to go out in the town wearing a black bonnet, even though slave-hunters are all about. Highly educated as a result of sitting in on lessons with the master's daughter, Bethy, Charity eventually realizes that Bethy is her half-sister. She then must make a choice between accompanying Bea to Liberia and continuing on to Canada. Although the author's word choice is frequently too modern and there are a few historical bloopers (Darwin's theory of man and apes is discussed before its publication), Bryant writes a compelling story with lively characters that will give young readers a new perspective on everyday life for slaves as well as the anxieties of running for freedom. Susan Dove Lempke

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: New England Pr Inc; 1st edition (October 4, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881535223
• ISBN-13: 978-1881535225
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, January 25, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Black Bonnet (Paperback)

This book expresses the fealing of slavery and how hard liffe most of been to be a slave. Also it shows how a girl with light skin but still black could go outside and do more stuff than darker skined girls such as Bea, a charactor in The Black Bonnet. This book also tell some of the Vermont history and goes throught Bennington, Vt. This was a great book and I hope people fid this review helpful!