Liberty Letters: The Personal Correspondence of Hannah Brown and Sarah Smith (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

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Gr. 4-7. When Hannah Brown, the granddaughter of an abolitionist in slave-holding Northern Virginia, begins corresponding with Sarah Smith, a girl who attended boarding school near Hannah's farm but has returned home to Pennsylvania, Hannah discusses her reservations about her grandfather's abolitionist activities. Sarah, whose parents are Underground Railroad "conductors" in Pennsylvania, gently encourages Hannah to rethink her beliefs, and gradually Hannah becomes involved in the abolitionist cause. Together, the two Quaker girls assist a South Carolina slave family to escape to Canada. While the family hides in Hannah's barn, Hannah teaches the daughter to read and write, which saves the slave girl's life en route. Characterizations are thin and the girls' voices sound too similar, but background details are plentiful, and children will come away with a general sense of the abolition movement. Steer those who want more to Freedom Roads: Searching for the Underground Railroad (2003) by Joyce Hansen and Gary McGowan and to Doreen Rappaport's No More! Stories and Songs of Slave Resistance (2002), which better demonstrate the role of the African Americans themselves. Shelley Townsend-Hudson
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Product Description

The Liberty Letters™ seres explores the lives of teens that courageously lived out their faith in challenging times. Written in letter form, the correspondence between two girls will tell how God works through ordinary people in extraordinary times.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Zonderkidz; 1 edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310703506
• ISBN-13: 978-0310703501
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,939,218 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good historical fiction in a unique format., September 18, 2004

By	Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book is written in the form of letters between Hannah Brown and Sarah Smith, two young teenaged Quaker girls, from 1857 to 1859. Both Hannah and Sarah come from strong abolitionist families, and became close friends while Sarah attended a Quaker school in Hannah's hometown of Goose Creek, Virginia. When Sarah returned to Philadelphia, the girls began a regular correspondence. Hannah's grandfather is an active abolitionist who has helped many slaves escape along the Underground Railroad, and now that Hannah is old enough, he wants her help. While Hannah believes slaves have the right to be free, she is at first reluctant to risk her safety and that of her family. However, her experiences and her faith lead her to become an active participant in the Underground Railroad, after she meets a young slave girl of her own age, Pearl, who is trying to reach freedom in Canada. Pearl has never known freedom, and after her brother was sold away and her mother died, she and her father escaped, but had to leave Pearl's little sister behind. Hannah becomes determined to help Pearl and her family reunite and reach freedom in Canada.

Young girls who enjoy historical fiction will most likely enjoy this book, especially if they enjoy series such as Dear America. However, this book did have some flaws, particularly that the characters were not all that developed. However, I enjoyed the unique letter format, and the historical details about life in the 1850s.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History made Easy, February 8, 2008

By	Donita K. Paul (www.dragonkeeper.us) - See all my reviews

I thought I wouldn't like this. I've read Christian history fiction and found it dry. But this engaged my attention. As a former teacher, I wish I had had this series to use when my pupil ho-hummed about history.