The Slave Dancer [Paperback]

Paula Fox (Author), Peter MacNicol (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2001

Snatched from the docks of New Orleans, 13-year-old Jessie is thrown aboard a slave ship where he is sickened by the horrible practices of the slave business. But they are nothing compared to the one final horror that Jessie will witness. Can the cruelty be stopped before it’s too late?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fox has woven a spellbinding tale of suspense and survival that will horrify as well as fascinate..."

-- Library Journal (starred review)

"A story that movingly and realistically presents one of the most gruesome chapters of history, with all the violence, inhuman conditions, and bestial aspects of human nature -- exposed but never exploited in Fox's graphic, documentary prose."

-- Booklist (starred review) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Snatched from the docks of New Orleans, thirteen-year-old Jessie is thrown aboard a slave ship where he must play his fife so that captured slaves will "dance," and keep their muscles strong and their bodies profitable.

Jessie is sickened by the horrible practices of the slave business. But they are nothing compared to the one final horror that Jessie will witness. Can the cruelty be stopped? And will it be too late when it does? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Listening Library; Pap/Cas Un edition (April 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307256782
• ISBN-13: 978-0307256782
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (136 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,373,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tuckahoe Fourth Grader Who Enjoyed This Book, March 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Slave Dancer (Paperback)

The year is 1840. Thirteen year old Jessie Bollier is walking home through the streets of New Orleans when he is kidnapped. The kidnappers put him on a slaver, a boat that goes to Africa to get slaves and bring them to America to be sold. On his journey he sees the horrors of slavery and he is sickened. The book's title comes from Jessie's job: Jessies job is to play his fife so the slaves will dance and get exercise. Then they can be sold for higher prices. During the journey, to keep the slave ship from being stopped, all but one of the slaves - a young boy named Ras - are thrown into the shark-filled waters. Then a storm hits and Jessie and Ras hide below. Will the ship sink? Will Jessie and Ras survive? Will Jessie be able to go home? To find out, read this exciting book. My favorite part is when Purvis, an older sailor, befriends Jessie by telling him jokes and giving him hope. I recommend this book to people who like historic fiction and who like exciting but sad stories.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy reading for those who might best benefit from it, October 25, 2002

By 

S. Silverman "ReaderGeode" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Slave Dancer (Paperback)

A mid-70's Newbery winner, and a gem. With Out of the Dust, and Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, the very finest Newbery has to offer in historical fiction. The reading level may be late elementary or early middle school, but the content calls for later middle school or high school. The details of abducting and carrying slaves, their treatment at the hands of their transporters, the crude and often cruel behavior of the ship's crew, and the horrors of shipboard life make the themes tough for sensitive younger readers. It will provide a young reader with a thoroughly unsettling look at an unseemly part of American history. The main character, the white boy kidnapped from the streets of New Orleans in 1840 to play his fife to encourage the slaves to dance, is a good, clear, child's view of things, properly aghast and open-minded, the pleasant part of the story and its first person teller. What Slave Dancer gives is brilliant in its clarity and horror. I recommend it highly with the caveats above.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox, February 21, 2000

By 

J. Erway (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Slave Dancer (Hardcover)

I read this novel when it was assigned to my child's fifth grade class. The book provides vivid imagery of a young boy's kidnapping and forced servitude aboard a slave ship. Fox's skillful narrative style is filled with detailed description and allegory. However, I must strongly disagree with Amazon's (and the publisher's?) classification of the novel as a book for 9-12 year olds. The vocabulary is so difficult that myself and my husband, both of us well read, college educated people, did not know some of the words. It also deals with cruel happenings and racism in such a way that I believe make the book suitable only for more mature readers. Therefore, I would recommend this chronicle only for readers 13 years and older.