Escape from Slavery: Five Journeys to Freedom

by Doreen Rappaport, Charles Lilly (Illustrator)

Freedom!Eliza and her baby, running across the ice. Selena and Cornelia Jackson, masquerading as boys. Henry Box Brown, shipping himself north in a wooden crate. Jane Johnson, risking everything to testify against her former owner in court. Ellen Craft, posing as her husband's owner.

Escaping from slavery against overwhelming odds, these people were helped by courage, ingenuity, and the informal network known as the Underground Railroad. Here are their gripping stories, told by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Charles Lilly, and accompanied by information about slave laws of the era, key Underground Railroad leaders, and a bibliography.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Short Stories, Middle Grade, History

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Doreen Rappaport has written many books of fiction and nonfiction for young readers, specializing in thoroughly researched multicultural history, historical fiction, retellings of folktales and myths, and stories of those she calls the "not-yet-celebrated." Among her recent books is Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., illustrated by Bryan Collier, which received a Caldecott Honor Award and a Coretta Scott King Honor Award for illustration. Doreen Rappaport divides her time between New York City and a rural village in upstate New York.

Reviews

[Miss Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

gr 4-7 104pgs

pre Civil War various. Five short stories about people escaping from slavery using various means. Eliza must brave crossing a partially frozen river to safety. Two girls, Cornelia and Selena, with the help of the town escape by dressing like two of the boys living in town. Henry Brown is mailed north in a box. Jane and her two boys are helped by abolitionists in Philadelphia. Ellen and William Craft, husband and wife, escape by pretending that Ellen is a male slaveowner and that William is her slave.

Interesting stories made even more interesting since they are true. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy short stories.

[10-11 Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I dont know if you people like it but I DID NOT LIKE THIS BOOK i thought it was so boring but somehow i managed to read the whole thing if you like history you should read this book but personally I would not recommend this book.

[Nicholas mathis]

The book is mostly about is a girl that escape slavery and go to the U.S.A. I was happy that she escape from slavery before she got killed. She was only 14 when this was going on.She had baby at the time.I'm so happy that her and the baby didn't died.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has five stories of how slaves escaped the south. The are informative and good reading having suspense and tension.

[Michelle Powers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real stories of slaves who escaped to the North before the Civil War. The stories were about men, women, and children. The book is meant for children so the stories are told simply. The stories demonstrate how much creativity, ingenuity, and bravery some people had. Sadly, it also shows how cruel people could be. Being a book meant for children this part is not dwelt on, and an adult reader may be bothered by how casual the cruelties are glossed over.

Following each story is a little one paragraph epilogue about what happened to the person now that they were free. The end of the book also gives a little paragraph outlining where each story came from- usually from newspaper accounts, or the individuals themselves who went on speaking tours, or wrote their story after escaping to freedom.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good set of short stories about escaping slavery, but the stories were SO short that I felt l needed more from each one. I would have liked a page or two more for each one, but this is definitely something I'd like my students to read. Does use the N-word a lot if you're intending to read aloud or have in your classroom.

[Marilyn Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informational
5th-6th grade reading level
I liked this book because it far a broad range of situations of what it would have looked like to be a slave. It also gave some awesome stories on how slaves escaped that I thought kept the reader on their toes at all time. I didn’t want to put this book down. I liked that the book included pictures to help visualize the story more.

[Valerie Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this with history for our homeschool! My children and I really enjoyed it! It adds so much to our time of learning ,as a family, while we are learning about the Underground Railroad in our history.
**The last two stories use the d word a few times, not a word we use in our home, so I thought the author could have skipped using it since this is a Children’s book.

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories are a good introduction to people. The explanatory notes at the end of the boom are the best part. We'll be seeking out original sources to read instead.

[Courtney Umlauf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Included are five short stories, each recounting the harrowing tale of individuals escaping the bonds of slavery in the south to freedom in the north. I think the structure of five unconnected stories is a good choice. Each one is a little different, showing the experiences of slaves and the various ways they were able to gain freedom for themselves. It's well written, and is a good choice for young readers who aren't drawn to non-fiction as the accounts are personal and should be emotionally engaging, and the five short stories shouldn't be overwhelming in length.


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[Ann]

I knew these stories, still a good read.