Customer Reviews

True North: A Novel of the Underground Railroad

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I teach seventh and eighth grade English and searched far and wide for a good novel about cultures. This book has characters my students could relate to and enough action to keep them hooked. It contrasts the lives of two girls, one escaping slavery and the other escaping the "rules" of the upper-class. What was best, though, are the issues raised that sparked discussion, including ethics, civil disobedience, and taking risks.

A well-written story about the underground railroad,"True North" is about a young, witty fourteen-year old, Lucy, and her grandfather. The story takes place in 19th century America at the height of the aboloitionists and slave disputes. Lucy is a wealthy girl raised in Massachusetts. She is very much different than her four other sisters. Lucy is not at all interested in getting dressed up and going to parties, but would rather learn from her grandfather about the human body or birds. She does not know very much about slavery, only that her parents do not agree on whether it is right or wrong. Her mother was raised in the south, and her father in the north. Lucy is very close to her grandfather, who is a doctor. She feels that she knows him very well. However, as time passes, Lucy cracks his codes and finds out that he is a conductor and stationmaster in the underground railroad. He lets her go with him on one of his adventures, and Lucy is glad to be a part of it. After his passing, Lucy finds herself in a situation where she must help 14-year-old runaway slave, Afrika. A friendship develops throughout the story between the two girls and each learns an important lesson about human kindness. This story depicts this time in America very well. I would suggest this book to anyone who does not know about slavery in America during this time. It would be a great book to use as early as fifth grade. It shows the sad history of our country and slavery, and why there was so much hatred between the two races during this time. Kathryn Lasky does a great job of developing a fictional story with many interwoven facts throughout it. It is the perfect way to get the facts across while making the story interesting.

This book was exciting and kept my attention throughout the entire story. The comparison of life in the highest social class at that time and slavery was equally amazing and sad.

In this book there are two main characters. They are Lucy and Afrika. Afrika is a slave who is running away to the north. Lucy is a wealthy girl who lives in Boston. After Lucy's Grandfather dies she finds Afrika in a closet in her grandfather's house. It turns out he worked for an organization that helped slaves escape from the south. Now Lucy has to help Afrika get to freedom. This book is entertaining and gives you and idea of two very different people's lives. I highly recomened this book, especially for girls because it is about two girls.

"True North."

by Kathryn Lasky

Have you ever wondered why you are reading that certain book? Have you ever thought that the books you were reading had no point, and were extremely boring? I myself have experienced those feelings on many books. That's not true about "True North". I had to read a Civil War book for my English class. I thought this would be a stupid book and I shouldn't even waste my time reading it. I took a chance and read a few chapters. It wasn't amazing- and yet it was actually pretty good. This book is all about two girls during the Civil War. One of them is a black slave trying to get free, and the other is a rich white girl who hates her life of luxury. They are both running away from their lives to find a better way of living. That is pretty much the only thing they have in common. "True North" is all about the struggles these girls face for freedom. It has a good message about love, friendship, hard work, and determination. "True North" is a fast read with an adventure, no kissing, but I guess there could be crying, (depending on the person). I didn't think this book was the best book I ever read. It is the kind of book you read for a class or if you need to write a paper. Who knows though, maybe this will be your favorite book. I can say this about "True North". I didn't regret reading it, and I know you won't either. Go pick up a copy at your local library or ask your English teacher if they have this book. Everyone has to read, and this book is a lot better than those kissing, boring, books. What are you waiting for? Read, "True North" by Kathryn Lasky. I know you want to!

Review by Danaca Moore

Lehi, UT.

I loved this book. It is about two girls, one Afrika is running away from the plantation she works at in Virginia, and the other girl, Lucy is a wealthy girl in Boston who` s best friend is her grandfather. In the story Lucy finds out that her grandfather halps with the Underground Railroud. After her grandfather dies she finds Afrika in the grandfather clock in her grandfathers office. She helps Afrika the rest of the way to freedom even though it is hard and they run into some road blocks. I liked this book because it helps you to understand how it was like for people back then. I loved this book and I would deffinetely suggest it to someone else to read.

This story is suspense-filled and moves quickly to reveal a delicate plot that is easy to follow but takes some mind to fully comprehend. This is a great experience for anyone interested in stories of the Underground Railroad.

As my school's academic pentathalon's required reading, I began to read this book believing that this would be an intriguing, insightful book, but I soon learned that I was wrong. As I followed the main character, Afrika, on her journey through the Underground Railroad, my mind quickly began to follow sleep cycles as the plot dragged on and on about an escaping slave and a spoiled Massachusetts girl. As an insult to literature and an irksome task to read, this book is even too small to serve as a functioning doorstop. After building up the Massachusetts girl's character through the entire book, her character only is relevant to the main plot near the end of the book. If it is at all within your power or if you value yourself, refrain from reading this book; but if you believe in self-torture, this is the book for you!

True North was one story that I felt transported to. One minute I was sitting on my bed reading and the next I was in 19th Century Boston. The book is a story of two very different girls whose paths cross. The first is Afrika, a fugitive slave girl who is travelling on the Underground Railroad. Afrika had previously been sexually abused by her overseer and the result, her child, died. The other is a tomboy named Lucy Bradford, who feels out of place amongst her sister's wedding plans and life in Boston. Suddenly, Lucy learns the truth about her beloved grandfather, Pap. He is a conductor on the Underground Railroad. But a sudden tragedy forces Lucy to graduate from childhood forever. Thus on her path to womanhood she meets Afrika; who is depending on Lucy to take Pap's place. I liked this book and was astounded by the realism of the girls' predicaments, while at the same time I thought that parts of True North were unrealistic.

True North, by Kathryn Lasky, is one of the best books I have read about the Underground Railroad. It tells the parallel stories of Lucy Bradford, the youngest daughter of a well-to-do Boston family, and Afrika, a fourteen-year-old slave girl who is escaping on the Underground Railroad. As the story moves on, the two girl's lives grow closer together, as Lucy discovers a well-kept secret that her grandfather is involved in the Underground Railroad. As Lucy is trying to avoid the seemingly endless parties leading up to her sister Iris's wedding, Afrika is sleeping by day and walking miles upon miles at night, following the stars and the moss to reach Canada and freedom. Kathryn Lasky wrote a masterpiece here, interweaving fact with fiction to create a highly educational and enjoyable story.