The Color of Fire [Hardcover]

Ann Rinaldi (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 5 and up

Someone is setting fires in New York City. It is 1741 and, as a colony of Britain, America is at war with Spain. The people in New York City are on a heightened state of alert, living in fear of Catholics acting as Spanish secret agents. Phoebe, an enslaved girl, watches as the town erupts into mass hysteria when the whites in New York City convince themselves that the black slaves are planning an uprising. Her best friend, Cuffee, is implicated in the plot, and the king's men promise to let him go if he names names. Several people are hanged and many more are burned at the stake, but the mob won't rest until they find a mastermind behind the plan, someone Catholic and white-and there's suspicion that Phoebe's teacher Mr Ury is a priest.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9–Burnings of homes and warehouses and fears of a slave uprising fuel massacres of black people in New York during the mid 1700s. Phoebe's master, an assemblyman, is kind to the young teen and has done much to help and protect her and his other slaves from any finger-pointing by neighbors and the local magistrates. But when Cuffee, Phoebe's fellow servant and dear friend, is accused and arrested for treason, the girl's world begins to crumble around her. Influenced by public opinion, her master does nothing to help her friend, and Cuffee is sentenced to death. Portraying a tragic tale of historical significance, this book is charged with heated politics, suspenseful intrigue, and murder. True to Rinaldi's approach, the author explains this story as "being one that people may have heard of but don't know anything about." The page-turning, complex plot unfolds quickly. Readers will be readily absorbed by Phoebe's emotional turmoil and struggle to be true to those she loves.–Kimberly Monaghan, formerly at Vernon Area Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. When a rash of fires breaks out in eighteenth-century New York City, indentured white servants, many of whom purchase their freedom by testifying, lead the accusations against the black population of inciting a "negro uprising." Fourteen-year-old Phoebe is horrified when Cuffee, a beloved fellow slave in the house where she works, is among the indicted. While the city descends into terrifying chaos and suspects are burned at the stake, Phoebe faces overwhelming, even shocking ethical decisions: Would she betray a friend for her own freedom? Would she give a condemned friend poison to save him from feeling the flames? Rinaldi writes a tense historical novel about racial brutalities in old New York and the fearsome irrational power of a mob that, "like a caterpillar," has "many arms and legs but only one head." The horror is graphic (there are descriptions of burning bodies) but not sensationalized, and the gripping moral questions draw parallels to contemporary racism and capital punishment. This is uncomfortable reading, but the vivid, important story will stay with the audience. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Jump At The Sun; 1ST edition (April 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786809388
• ISBN-13: 978-0786809387
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,424,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ANN RINALDI is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. A self-made writer and newspaper columnist for twenty-one years, Ms. Rinaldi attributes her interest in history to her son, who enlisted her to take part in historical reenactments up and down the East Coast. She lives with her husband in central New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A historical fiction novel that is both engrossing and educational, August 11, 2005

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Color of Fire (Hardcover)

"Why does any group of people hate another, Phoebe? Because they misjudge the ones they hate. Because they really don't know them."

Author Ann Rinaldi has been writing historical fiction for over three decades and has gained quite a reputation for doing so. Her books have received their fair share of accolades, including the American Library Association Best Book of the Year Award (eight of her books have been awarded this honor), and have been used as part of the curriculum in countless schools and libraries nationwide. Her latest book, titled THE COLOR OF FIRE, is yet another strong addition to the bunch --- a fictional account based on the Great Negro Plot of 1741 in New York City when America was still a colony of Great Britain and at war with Spain.

The story opens just as a fire is beginning to catch in Master Philipse's warehouse, and Phoebe, Master Philipse's black servant and the eyes and ears of the book, is attempting to decipher who started it. As the days go on and more fires are mysteriously started, the townsfolk become increasingly suspicious and suspect that the slaves not only are responsible for the wreckage but that they also are planning a murderous revolt against their masters. A manhunt ensues, and as you might expect, blacks are pitted against whites, fingers are pointed, and blame gets handed down without a lick of fairness or in-depth investigation on the part of the authorities.

In the end, Phoebe's best friend Cuffee, also a servant to Master Philipse, is charged, put to trial, found guilty, and consequently burned at the stake. Fifteen or so other slaves are named (some by their already convicted friends) and executed, as well as two whites who were believed to be in on the scheme. The overall atmosphere in the town, despite the incessant executions, is not one of vindication and justice, but one of nagging fear and chaos, where no one trusts anyone and every man is out for himself.

As with many of her other books, Rinaldi leaves ample room for interpretation. She doesn't actually say whether the accused were proven guilty, or whether they actually committed the deeds --- as in history. What she does dwell on, however, is the moral implications of each character's actions (especially Phoebe's) and the pains they go through when contemplating their next step.

Although some readers may feel that it reads more like a book for history class rather than one to be poured through for pleasure, THE COLOR OF FIRE is an engaging story that is perfect for learning and sparking discussions about making choices and standing up for one's beliefs despite the consequences.

--- Reviewed by Alexis Burling

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual reading about and unusual topic, July 4, 2005

By 

BookChic "Lisa" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Color of Fire (Hardcover)

Contrary to the previous reviewers belief, I enjoyed this book much more than I have any other Ann Rinaldi books.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth it, March 2, 2006

By 

GirlOnARant "The Cat" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Color of Fire (Hardcover)

Mainly this is a response to the young lady who felt this novel was terrible. First of all honey, learn to spell! It's character not charictor. Second of all, Ann Rinaldi is a fabulous author who has proven herself over and over again. This book portrays very real historical issues. Just because Mrs. Rinaldi writes about history does not mean that the content should be la di da and easy to digest. Our country's history is about war, death, and destruction in the hopes of a better world. Ann Rinaldi does that in this novel even though it's more graphic there is much value in the story she portrays.