Thursday, November 20, 2008

Prisoner of Liberty by Marty Rhodes Figley - ESSENTIAL


Figley, Marty Rhodes Prisoner for Liberty, illustrations by Craig Orback, 47 p. Millbrook (Lerner), 2008.

EL - ESSENTIAL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE

James was a young black man serving on an American warship during the American Revolution when the ship and its crew is captured by the British. By chance he makes friends with the commanders son and is spared a life of servitude. After James refuses to return with the other boy to Britain, he is placed on the prison ship Jersey. When he is given a chance to escape to freedom, he gives up his place to a boy who is on the verge of dying.

Another book in the On My Own: History series. What I love about these books is that even though they are easy readers, they tell the stories of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances, adding dimension to our learning of history. While this will be a good fit in an elementary collection, even a middle or high school teacher could use this as a starter.

CINDY

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