My America: Flying Free: Corey's Underground Railroad Diary, Book Two (My America) [Hardcover]

Sharon Dennis Wyeth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002 | Age Level: 7 and up

In this sequel to My America: Freedom's Wings, Corey Birdsong and his family have escaped slavery and the South and found refuge in Canada. This book is part of the re-launch of the My America series.

In Sharon Dennis Wyeth's sequel to My America: Freedom's Wings, Corey and his family have escaped from slavery and the South and are now living in Canada. They own their own land, have made new friends, and Corey gets ready to go to school. But danger still remains across the river in Ohio, where slavecatchers lurk, waiting to capture escaped slaves to bring them back to their former masters. Corey, however, outsmarts them, and brings his friend Mingo to safety in Canada.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-In Patriots, Hope, 10, lives in Philadelphia in 1777. George Washington and his troops are nearby fighting the Redcoats, who capture the city and move into her home. Gregory engages readers with the tumultuous elements of conflict and war, making this book a page-turner. Flying follows Corey, 10, an escaped slave who is now forging a life as a free person in Canada with his family. With the exception of the rescue of his best friend, there is little excitement in this plotless, formulaic story. Also, Corey's facility with language doesn't ring true. The historical note at the end of each volume offers interesting facts and a few black-and-white photos. The large font size and short entries make these books quick and accessible to reluctant and good readers alike. Although not great literature, they may be popular historical-fiction choices for kids who are willing to suspend disbelief.
Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. In 1858, nine-year-old Corey Birdsong and his family flee Kentucky and their lives as slaves. With the aid of the Underground Railroad, the Birdsongs arrive in Amherstburg, Canada. There, an entire community of people of color welcomes them and helps the family build new lives in freedom. Children need not be familiar with book one of Corey's diary, Freedom's Wings (2001), to take up this continuation. Through Corey's entries and the informative notes, children find out about African Canadians, like those in Corey's new home, who owned land and businesses, had their own churches and schools, and eagerly helped newcomers like the Birdsongs get on their feet. In the course of his diary, Corey escapes a slave catcher and helps a friend steal away from Kentucky to freedom--episodes that add excitement as well as historic relevancy. A solid addition to the My America series. Ellen Mandel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 103 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439244439
• ISBN-13: 978-0439244435
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,320,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars nice and an interesting story, January 25, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Flying Free: Corey's Underground Railroad Diary, Book Two (My America) (Mass Market Paperback)

In the book Flying Free, by Sharon Dennis Wyeth, A boy named Corey and his family escape from slavery in Kentucky America to start a new life in Amherstburg in Canada. They were able to escape with the help of the Underground Railroad. In Canada, they get their own home and Corey goes to school. With the help of their neighbors, they were able to build their new log cabin. Corey and his family got jobs and started earning their own money. Although Corey was happy with his freedom and new life, he missed his friend Mingo who was not able to escape. Corey sent Mingo a letter convincing him to escape from slavery and hoped for him to come to Canada. Soon, Corey received a letter from Mingo informing him of his escape.

Mingo then arrived to Canada where he lived with Corey. The story is very nice interesting, but the author could have done a better job with English language usage (spelling and grammar).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The continuation of Corey Birdsong's story, April 13, 2002

By 

hiphopgirl_1000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: My America: Flying Free: Corey's Underground Railroad Diary, Book Two (My America) (Hardcover)

Corey and his family, runaway slaves from Kentucky, have finally escaped to freedom in Canada. They have now built a new, hopeful, life in Amherstburg, Canada. In Canada they own their own land, and Corey gets to go to school. However, they still are hoping to help those they left behind, such as Corey's friend Mingo. But, beyond the river in Ohio many slavecatchers still lurk to find runaway slaves and getting Mingo safely over is going to be hard. However Corey comes up with a brilliant plan that will help get Mingo over to freedom. The continuation of Corey's story is another great My America book. I recommend it to everybody!

5.0 out of 5 stars My America Flying Free, May 12, 2009

By 

Kingham's Kids "Ms, Kingham's 7th Grade" (Bedford, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flying Free: Corey's Underground Railroad Diary, Book Two (My America) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Book I read was My America the Underground railroad Diary by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. This book is about this Family that ran away from Pennsylvania because of people wanting them to be slaves and they were on there way to Canada. Corey and baby sister star and there mom and dad were on the run. I would suggest this book to kids who like Diary's but also kids who have read this sires. I would also suggest this book to people who like to read a lot and are at my level at reading. Another reason I liked this book was that it shows how sad it was to be running away from be slaves like its sad that u need them to work for you u will need to read the book to find out more... KB