Escape from Slavery: Five Journeys to Freedom [Paperback]

Doreen Rappaport (Author), Charles Lilly (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Freedom!

Eliza and her baby, running across the ice. Selena and Cornelia Jackson, masquerading as boys. Henry Box Brown, shipping himself north in a wooden crate. Jane Johnson, risking everything to testify against her former owner in court. Ellen Craft, posing as her husband's owner.

Escaping from slavery against overwhelming odds, these people were helped by courage, ingenuity, and the informal network known as the Underground Railroad. Here are their gripping stories, told by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Charles Lilly, and accompanied by information about slave laws of the era, key Underground Railroad leaders, and a bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a starred review, PW praised this "concisely wrought volume"; five 18th- and 19th-century slaves attain freedom in these "inherently suspenseful accounts." Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-- Five stories of slaves who escaped along the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War through a variety of means. In one of the episodes, Henry Brown shipped himself as freight to Philadelphia, arriving exhausted but free. The book contains a great deal of fictionalization of thoughts, feelings, etc.--but it is all based on primary-source material, some written by the escapees themselves. Rappaport doesn't delve into the moral or political issues behind slavery; her intent is simply to show how some of its victims eluded their captors. There is an excellent bibliography, with a mix of primary, secondary, and juvenile materials. Each chapter has one black-and-white drawing. A good accompaniment to school units on the Civil War or slavery that will also be read by those who like biographies. --Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (December 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064461696
• ISBN-13: 978-0064461696
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #325,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > 1800s

More About the Author

Doreen Rappaport is known for her ground-breaking approach to multicultural history and stories for young readers. In her many award-winning books, she brings attention to not-yet-celebrated Americans, along with well-known figures.

A former teacher of music and reading, Doreen knows how to capture children's attention. Her dynamic formats engage even the most reluctant readers.

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is an Orbis Pictus Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Caldecott Honor Book for Illustration, ALA Notable Book, and is on the Blue Ribbon list of the Bulletin Center for Children's Books.

We Are The Many: A Picture Book of American Indians, introduces the accomplishments of sixteen distinguished American Indians.

Her classic Escape From Slavery presents the history of the Underground Railroad through adventure stories.

The Boston Coffee Party introduces children to a neglected event in history books and shows the active roles played by women during the Revolutionary War.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I think that this was an interesting book to read, July 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Escape from Slavery: Five Journeys to Freedom (Paperback)

I am a 7th grader who was assigned this book to read as a summer reading project by my future teacher. After reading many different books on the life experiments of slaves durning the Civil War, I found this book interesting. It is about five slaves and how they managed to escape slavery. It show how brave each one of these people were in their own way. It also show how the Underground Railroad worked to help them in their escape of the in human lives that they were living along with the abuse that they suffered. The most interesting person of the five was Eliza, she also was fighting for the freedom of her baby Caroline. I think that the danger of the escape was harder for her because she was more worried about her daughter and what could happen to both of them if they were to get caught.This book kept me interested because it tells of the feeling that each one of the slaves is feeling and how they handle the next travel from one place to another. I liked the reading of the adventures that they had and how in the end they needed to adjust to a new kind of life.