Stealing Freedom [Paperback]

Elisa Carbone (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Inspired by a true story, the riveting novel of a young slave girl's harrowing escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

The moment Ann Maria Weems was born, her freedom was stolen from her. Like her family and the other slaves on the farm, Ann works from sunup to sundown and obeys the orders of her master. Then one day, Ann's family -- the only joy she knows -- is gone. Just 12 years old, Ann is overcome by grief, struggling to get through each day. And her only hope of stealing back her freedom and finding her family lies in a perilous journey: the Underground Railroad.

Ann Maria Weems was an actual slave who lived in the mid-1800s near the author's home in Maryland.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"'Papa, is that bad, what Uncle Abram tried to do--steal his freedom like that?' Ann asked.
Her father stopped and stared at her. 'He wasn't stealing anything that wasn't rightfully his,' he said very softly. 'Anyone born a slave gets their freedom stolen the day they're born.'"

Ann Maria Weems was a slave who lived in Maryland in the mid-1800s, and in the engaging, suspenseful novel Stealing Freedom, Elisa Carbone tells her story. As she wrote, Carbone painstakingly pieced Ann's experiences together with old newspaper articles; letters found in boxes in Philadelphia and Ohio; and material culled from rare books, census and land records, wills, and graveyards. She read thousands of pages of slave narratives, and recorded the emotion she heard in these men and women's voices in her own work. The resulting novel--powerful, vivid, and a tale well told--is, according to the author, a combination of what really happened and what could have happened. Every character in her book is based on someone who lived during the 19th century.

The story begins in 1853 at the Price farm in Unity, Maryland, where the Weems family lives and works. Though 10-year-old Ann works from sunup to sundown in often harsh conditions, her life is not an unhappy one, as she is surrounded by a loving family. But the reality of slavery is ever present. When the Prices begin to sell Ann's family off, person by person, her father (a free slave) vows that if the family can't be together in slavery, they will be together in freedom. Finally, only 12-year-old Ann is left on the farm, and young readers will be moved by her courageous journey--from her dramatic escape with a white abolitionist, to her travels on the Underground Railroad, to her heart-wrenching reunion with her family in Canada. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In a starred review,PW called this novel, based on the life of a slave who disguised herself as a boy and escaped at age 13, "dramatic, often poignant." Ages 10-up. (Jan.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (January 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440417074
• ISBN-13: 978-0440417071
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #493,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A phenomenal read, August 23, 1999

By 

Lorraine Berry (Ithaca, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stealing Freedom (Hardcover)

This book was a treasure. I can't recommend it highly enough. There were passages of this book that I read through tears, while others were read with my heart pounding. The character of Ann Maria is such a courageous, likeable person, I found myself wanting to know more. I was genuinely disappointed when I stopped reading, and can only hope that Prof. Carbone is able to find more information so that she can update us on Ann Maria's life in freedom.

This book is a must-read for anyone who loves good fiction, is interested in the human face of slavery, and for any history-buff.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book..., March 15, 2001

By 

"kudos1984" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stealing Freedom (Paperback)

I picked up this book in the library when I couldn't find much else I wanted to read and I didn't think that it would be that great....I was wrong! This book kept my interest and I could hardly put it down. There were times when tears when in my eyes..other times I wanted to laugh. It is a very touching book and one you won't forget soon.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stealing Freedom, October 3, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Stealing Freedom (Paperback)

This book is wonderful! It is about a girl named Ann Maria Weems who lives as a slave during the Civil War. One day, the unthinkable happens. An abolitionist come to free her family is unable to take her. Will she ever see her family again? Be free? Reccomended to anyone who wants to learn about the Civil War, slavery, or just wants a good read.

P.S.- It's also a Mark Twain Award Nominee