Run Away Home [Hardcover]

Patricia C. McKissack (Author), Pat McKissack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997 | Age Level: 8 and up

In 1886 in Alabama, an eleven-year-old African American girl and her family befriend and give refuge to a runaway Apache boy.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic; 1st edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590467514
• ISBN-13: 978-0590467513
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,604,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE HUMAN RIGHT TO BE FREE!, January 31, 2000

By 

Plume45 "kitka12345" (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Run Away Home (Hardcover)

In Alabama in 1888 a 12-year-old black girl witnesses a 15-year-old Indian boy escape from a stopped train. The government is transporting Apaches from the dry West to the humid South. Spunky Sarah Jane must made an adult decision based on a child's reason: should she reveal her private knowledge, which will result in a free spirit being returned to bondage? When she discovers that he is hiding in her barn, she must choose between her innate desire to see all people free and her duty to her parents.

Her father has troubles of his own: the local Knights of Southern Manhood (similar to the outlawed KKK) resent the idea of blacks voting; they use vicious methods to intimidate and punish blacks who try to register. It infuriates them to see blacks who actually own land, instead of just sharecropping (being cheated by whites) with no hope of economic freedom. Naturally they refuse to permit any black business enterprise to succeed while the sheriff turns a blind eye to the terrors of the night-riding Knights.

Sarah Jane's Mama blends both black and native american cultures--a gracious bridge between two opposing worlds--neither of which is respected by southern whites. Will her family become too attached to this Indian boy and refuse to hand him over the Government's young agent? Will Sky desert them in their time of crisis, in order to return to his tribe in the West? If the boll weevils don't run the Crossmans off their special place on earth, the Knights with their flaming torches and hatred will surely do the rest. The book includes historical references to Geronimo, Booker T. Washington and the Tuskegee Institute. This is a page-turner with tight plotting; increasing dangers escalate to a fever pitch of tension for the final showdown. A great introduction to Black History for elementary and junior high readers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vigorous Storytelling, November 27, 2005

By 

Library Gaga (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Run Away Home (Apple Paperbacks) (Paperback)

This tale is about African Americans and Native Americans during post Civil War times. Many topics surface, among them voting rights, the Ku Klux Klan, and the tight grip the powerful white community holds over all. Mostly this book is about right and wrong, about ethics and morality in the face of danger.

In the foreword, McKissack writes that the story is inspired by her own ancestors, an African American girl and the Native American boy she befriends and later marries. The fictional counterparts are eleven-year-old Sarah and fourteen-year-old Sky, who meet when Sarah discovers Sky hiding in the family barn. He stays with Sarah's family, becoming like a member by the end of the book.

This action-packed book was enjoyable because of the fast pace, the setting in rural Missouri, and the believability of the characters. The villains - the Sheriff and other powerful townspeople - were authentically ominous, with their threats of lynching and secretive KKK ties. I would recommend this to any student looking for historical fiction.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Run Away Home Review, April 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Run Away Home (Hardcover)

I have just finished reading a suspenseful and invigorating book called Run Away Home. As a student in college I thought that this book showed a good sense of character to the time it took place. I just finished working on a unit on Slavery for my Social Studies class. This book would play a good role as a wrap up to the ending of the Slavery Unit. This book takes place in Alabama during the 1800's when slavery is just becoming abolished. It is about a slave family that just became freed. They owe their own farm and do their own chores to get by. One day the father and his little girl go for a walk down by the railroad tracks with their dog, like they always do. They came across a train that was sitting there ready to unload its cargo. They spoke with a man named George Wratten who was a interpreter and a scout for the United States Army. Sarah's father asked what was going on and he told them that they captured Apache Indians and they are taking them to Mount Vernon. While Sarah and her father were speaking to the gentleman she noticed a Apache boy escape from the train car and out the window. She didn't say anything because she didn't want to be a tattle tail. So when she arrived at home the thought of the Apache boy all alone out there worried her. One night when it was storming pretty bad out, she heard a noise. Sarah got dressed and went out to the barn to see what it was, but she knew who it was. She couldn't see if it was actually the Apache boy but in her heart she knew it. Later on the boy was discovered and she and her family took him in.
I really enjoyed this book because it makes you feel like you are right there watching all of the events take place. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love for history or for someone who just wants to read a interesting book.