Author: Doreen Rappaport
Title: Freedom Ship
Illustrator: Curtis James
Readability Score: 3.5
Theme: overcoming slavery to freedom
Genre: Non-Fiction
Sub genre: Informational
Primary and secondary characters:
Awards: N/A
Publishing Company: Hyperion Books For Children
Date of Publication: 2006
ISBN: 078680645-1
Summary: This story is being told in a narrative point of view. It can be observed by the text and illustrations that the primary characters are slaves. The narrator talks about how his great-great grandfather Samuel and his father were born into slavery during the civil war. Sam's dad was working in South Carolina when the North and South were at war. The date was set at May 13, 1862 when the great-great grandfather was just a young boy. From the ship where they are working on, they spot Union warships. If only they could get to them, they would be free. In the middle of the night, Sam is woken up by his mother, who tells him to be quiet. They have to be quiet or else if they are caught they could be whipped or thrown in jail. They eventually meet up with others who are planning on escaping on a boat. They are hoping to find freedom and they feel even more relieved when they finally met the men, which consists of Sam's dad. They are all together at the end when they say that they are free.
This book tells of an eyewitness account of escaping slavery to reach freedom. Students can see how slaves went through many trials to reach freedom, even though it was not always guaranteed for them and for their families. They can discuss what things mean in the book as far as symbolism and what the white flag means in the text. They can also make up their own symbols to use if they were in that situation or point out ones within the text.
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