My America: Freedom's Wings: Corey's Underground Railroad Diary, Book One - Hardcover

Wyeth, Sharon Dennis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0439141001 ISBN 13: 9780439141000

Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 2001

Synopsis

In her debut for the My America series, Sharon Dennis Wyeth introduces readers to Birdsong, an amazingly literate young slave boy in antebellum Kentucky.This is the family's tryng escape from bondage.

March 1858
Mama and me ran. Our turn to fly. We will meet up with Daddy someday. Mr. Renfield said we will try to make that happen. Follow the drinkin' gourd said Mr. Renfield. You will taste your freedom. What does freedom taste like? Where is Daddy?
Corey Birdsong is a spiritual, lively young boy in search of freedom in the same country that has made an economy of slavery. He and his family are owned by the Hart family of Kentucky. But, when they learn that Roland,Corey's father is to be sold, Roland flees to the North and Corey and his mother follow.

About this title

About the Author:

Sharon Dennis Wyeth has written nearly fifty books for children, including several books in the My America series. She is also a poet, and a member of the Cave Canem Fellowship for African-American Poets. She lives in Upper Montclair, New Jersey.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 3-6-Secretly taught by his father to read and write, a nine-year-old slave keeps a diary but knows that he must hide it from his owner. Corey's spelling and grammar improve over time as he learns from others and from observation. In addition to recording life on a Kentucky farm in 1857, the journal traces the boy's flight to freedom by way of the Underground Railroad. The writing is sparse but compelling, pulling readers along every dangerous step of the way. Wyeth infuses the narrative with historic references to people like Frederick Douglass but also acknowledges the nameless men and women who believed in freedom enough to risk their lives to help others. The historical note and photographs strengthen the link between fact and fiction.

Jeanette Larson, Texas State Library, Austin

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0439141001
• ISBN 13: 9780439141000
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 112