A Good Night for Freedom

by Barbara Olenyik Morrow

When slave catchers come to her home and ask Hallie if she knows where any slaves may be hiding out, the young girl has to decide between telling the truth in order to protect herself and her family or lie in order to save the lives of two runaway girls hiding in her neighbor's home.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Carolynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hallie inadvertently discovers two runaway slaves, just girls her own age and is torn between her desire to protect them and her wanting to obey the law as her father suggests. After meeting them face to face she comes to the right decision.
Moody, dark-colored paintings illustrate this story. Use with "Under the Quilt of Night," and "Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt," both by Deborah Hopkinson.

[Victoria Dimmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. This book would be a great way include a little bit of history into your classroom. It's about a little girl who discover's that her aunt is hiding runaway slaves, and she has to decide whether or not to turn them in. I loved the illistrations in this book, and would be a great read for any classroom.

[Alissa Cleveland · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. This book is set in 1839 and Hallie has made a life changing discovery in her neighbor’s cellar kitchen (this is a stop on the Underground Railroad), two runaway slaves. Hallie knows it is against the law to hide slaves, but knows that she has a conscience that is telling her to let it go. When four slave catchers arrive to terrorize the house, Hallie must choose to stand up for the law or for the good of two young slaves.

2. This is not the best book I have ever read, but I think it is a decent resource to use when discussing issue of slavery and racism. It contains good illustrations, which would make for good conversation about the feelings of the characters. I think it is a simple story that brings up some issues of slavery, that younger students would be able to follow along with.

3. This book could be connected with other books containing the issue of slavery and the Underground Railroad. One book in particular that connects well with this text is, “Ain’t Nobody a Stranger to Me” by Ann Grifalconi.

4. “ ‘When I get to freedom, aim to get me a payin’ job, ‘ she said. ‘Gonna earn buckets of coins.’ ‘What you fixin’ on buyin’?’ ‘Mama.’ She sucked in her breath. ‘Master sold her. Sister and I got to get her back.’ “ This quote show that this book would be a good mentor text for staying true to the characters language, while also bringing up an important issue of families being sold through slavery.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows Hallie, a young girl from Indiana in 1839. She is delivering butter to a neighbor when she discovers Susan and Margaret, two runaway slaves that her neighbors were helping. She eventually tells her neighbors, Katy and Levi Coffin, that she found them. She is curious and nervous to talk to Susan and Margaret, since she doesn't understand slavery- she doesn't think she believes in it, but is confused about the functionality of laws. However, when slave catchers encroach upon the Coffin house, Hallie lies and reports that she saw two girls in the opposite direction that morning, saving the girls. She decides that, from now on, she will be brave like Susan and Margaret.

I thought this book served its purpose well. It tells an altered true story about the Coffin family, and includes pages of information to assist students in learning about slavery. My only complaint about this book was the lack of characterization given to Susan and Margaret- the entire story is about them, and yet they were only shown fully on a page, a page and a half, with less than five lines of dialogue. I think that this book is a good stepping stone into better representation, but I would love to see more in this style.

The Lexile is 590L.

[Makenna Eash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical Fiction
Grades 2-5
This book is about two girls from the South who are traveling to freedom via the Underground Railroad. The two girls are being hidden by abolitionists, when a girl, Hallie, discovers what the abolitionists are doing, she decides she wants to help these girls get to freedom. This book takes place in Indiana, which is always cool to see your home state included in literature. It is a good introductory look into what life would have been for abolitionists assisting with the Underground Railroad without making the book too graphic and violent.

[Israel Waltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre- historical fiction
Grade- middle grades
This is a great book about how a little girl made an impact. This story shows us that no matter your age you have the ability to ether to help or to do the wrong thing. I think that this book did a good job of putting showing us time and place that this story takes place in. I would recommended this book.

[Elly Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Historical Fiction Grade: 1-5
I think that it was nice in the way that the girl had wanted to help the two runaway slave girls. Knowing that they had never experienced freedom as slaves. How the girls had longer to be able to have freedom some day.

[Armanda Campbell]

Hallie is a young girl that doesn't quite understand the laws that legalize slavery. She is so smart that she starts ptting two and two together and she figures out where two runaways are hiding. She doesn't believe in slavery, but her dad tells her that you don't have to believe in something or agree with it, but sometimes the best thing to do is to stay out of it because there could be harsh consequences. She finds herself in a situation at the end, but she follows her heart and does what she feels is best. Although she doesn'th think that her dad would be pleased with her decision, she thought for herself and made a decision based on what she believed in.

This would be an awesome book to use for a lesson in Social studies teaching about slavery and it's meanings. The students would love the illustration and the writing portrays the language that was actually used back in these days. It would be great for the children to see the visuals as well to look at the difference between the clothes that we wear now and those they people wore during the times of slavery.

[538pm_jacqueline Lyles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades 1-4
This story is inspired by the story of two runaway slave sisters who were hidden by an Underground Railroad Leader by the name of Levi Coffin. Halle, a little girl who delivered things to the Coffins home discovers that they're hiding the sisters and she must make a decision whether she should tell the authorities because hiding slaves during this time was considered a crime. This story is a well written easy to understand story filled with beautiful lifelike illustrations. A child with basic knowledge of slavery could easily understand this story. This could definitely be used as a social studies lesson that teaches the children about slavery and that although you're young you can still make choices about what you think is right or wrong even if it is the law. Some parents may not like the story because Halle tells a lie, but others may feel she's courageous for doing so. Overall it was a great story that shows how people who were against slavery fought hard to help slaves.

[Nashiea Edmiston · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book to reinforce a social studies unit on slavery and the Underground Railroad. This story is shared with easy to follow dialogue and beautifully illustrated pictures. Upper elementary (gr. 2-5) will be able to use this story to briefly visualize what it was like for members of the Underground Railroad who aided runaways by giving them temporary refuge during a time where the consequences for such actions were really grave. Teachers can first allow for an aesthetic approach to the text where they just read and absorb the information and formulate their own interpretation without having to think about any follow up activities. Later, teachers can read it using an efferent approach where students stop reading once the main character comes up from the basement and they can decide what they would have done.

[538pm_Stephanie Scherer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be a perfect text to bring literacy into social studies. Hallie, the main character, was just doing her job, running some butter over to Aunt Katy’s. She thought she would be nice and run it down into the cellar kitchen where Aunt Katy kept it. When she got down there, there were two “Runaways” hiding down there! Hallie has an internal struggle on what to do: Should she follow the law and turn the Runaways in or keep her nose out of it. A Good Night for Freedom would be a very interesting story to have students take the place of Hallie and work through the situation for themselves.

[Cameron Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hallie is the main character in this story, and she is strong minded and is confronted with a choice that no young child should have to make. I like this story although I think with it being written with language from the past it might have to be geared towards older elementary maybe 3rd-5th graders. I think it not only can be related to the underground railroad but also a child finding out who they really are and what they truly believe.

[Jodi Santora · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read-aloud for learning about slavery and the underground railroad. This is from the perspective of a girl who helped with the underground railroad to lead two girls her own age to freedom. It is different and very interesting.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am creating a lesson about Levi Coffin and the Underground Railroad and was thrilled to find this book. I am finding few current books about Indiana history. This one is pretty good.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows what it was like to hide slaves and try and help them escape. It would be a good book to read to students when talking about slavery and it takes place in Indiana.

[Michelle Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Night for Freedom is a great book to teach children about the underground railroad. I used this book during black history month after we studied Harriett Tubman.

[Tifanie Bethel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for teaching Social Studies.

[Evanmazellan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artwork is full of diverse media