Message In The Sky

Corey's Underground Railroad Diary #3

by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

In the final book of Corey's Diary, Corey Birdsong and his family are living a full life in Canada, on their own farm, but they cannot forget about friends left behind, still in the grips of slavery.

In "Message in the Sky", Corey begins attending school, and his family, along with his friend, Mingo, are living well in Canada, where they've built their own farm. But, the Birdsongs cannot let go of the memories of their friends left behind in America. Corey and Mingo hatch a plan to help Aunt Queen, Mingo's adopted mother, escape, but Corey's parents forbid it, and start saving money to buy her freedom, instead. However, when Corey accidentally ends up on the American side of the Ohio River, he finds himself a conductor on the Underground Railroad!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Diary, Childrens, Fiction, Canada, Historical

112 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Message in the Sky, in the final instalment of Corey Birdsong's fictional journal, Sharon Dennis Wyeth with and through now ten year old Corey's diary entries (and which are still and happily so age appropriately simple but also very nicely and equally so believably feature much better spelling and grammar than Corey's entries in Freedom's Wings and Flying Free do as his literacy and his writing skills are ever steadily improving) tell how the Birdsongs (father, mother, Corey, Star and also Corey's best friend Mingo who escaped slavery and shipped himself north in Flying Free and has basically been adopted by the Birdsongs) are enjoying a full, rewarding, unencumbered by racial tension, racial inequality and free from the threats posed by slave catchers and bounty hunters (as long as they do not venture into the USA, as long as they do not cross into American territory) life of total freedom in what is now Canada, in what is today the town of Amherstburg, Ontario.

So with Corey and Mingo attending school, with Corey's parents owning land and running their own farm, life in Message in the Sky reads as positive and even as rather idyllic, but how the Birdsongs also cannot and will not forget about friends and family left behind in the USA and still in the grips of slavery, that while in Flying Free, it was Corey who is rescued and freed, in Message in the Sky it is Corey's adopted mother Aunt Queen, with Corey and Mingo hatching a plan to help Aunt Queen, to help Mingo's adopted mother escape, but that Corey's father and mother forbid this as being too risky and start saving money to buy Aunt Queen's freedom instead (doing this from Amherstburg and thus from safety). However, when Corey Birdsong in Message in the Sky (after foolishly not heeding his parents' sage and necessary advice and not following his mother's rules) accidentally ends up on the American side of the Ohio River, he finds himself stranded in the USA, not only in danger but also as a conductor on the Underground Railroad.

Now Message in the Sky is a decent conclusion for Corey Birdsong's journal (and especially my inner child really appreciates the hugely happy ending encountered in Message in the Sky, with Corey safe with his family once again in Amherstburg, and that his parents have not only managed to save enough money to buy Aunt Queen's freedom, but that Master Hart has actually agreed to this, even though the entire scenario also makes adult me majorly cringe, since well, people are not property to be bought and sold, but yes, under slavery, this was sadly and of course the status quo so to speak ). But just to say albeit much of what Dennis Wyeth has ten year old Corey write in his journal for Message in the Sky reads engagingly and also for the most part realistically and how Corey's voice and as such also his personality, his very being are delightful and also makes me totally want to be his and also Mingo's friend, sorry, but how Sharon Dennis Wyeth textually approaches (and has as such also her young diarist approach) what is now Canada and the province of Ontario is for me as a German Canadian (and older adult) reader more than a trifle problematic.

For one, in the 1850s and when Message in the Sky and the other two books of Dennis Wyeth’s trilogy take place, there was as yet not a Canada and no Ontario either (not until 1867), so that where Corey Birdsong and his family end up settling should really be called either Upper Canada or Canada West. And indeed (in my humble opinion), albeit many if not even most American authors who write about the Underground Railroad for younger readers seem to generally call where escaped slaves settled in what is now Canada as being Canada (and even the specific provinces according to what they are now called), both my inner child and much more so adult I do find this frustratingly historically inaccurate and as such more than somewhat annoying. And for two (and indeed and actually much of an issue for me, or rather for us), sorry, but the rose coloured eyeglasses attitude from Sharon Dennis Wyeth and as encountered in Corey’s diary in particular in Flying Free and now also in Message in the Sky about Canada somehow being the proverbial land of milk and honey for escaping slaves (and as though there is no racism, no discrimination, no dangers etc. for the latter), sorry, but this is problematic at best (since this is not and actually never has been the truth by any stretch of the imagination).

And yes, in particular Dennis Wyeth' for me rather ridiculous, fairy-tale like, wishful thinking as well as inaccurate celebration and depiction of everything north of the US border(everything in British North America, in what is now Canada) being totally wonderful and with no racism, segregation, with no dangers etc., this makes my rating for Message in the Sky no higher than three stars maximum, my general enjoyment of Corey Birdsong and his diary in Freedom's Wings, Flying Free and Message in the Sky totally notwithstanding (and although I also wish and like I do with all of the Scholastic fictional journal series that there would be a list of titles for further reading included in Message in the Sky and also in the prequels, yes, ALL my issues and the reasons for my two star reduction for Message in the Skymostly if not even solely have to do with how problematically and historically inaccurately Sharon Dennis Wyeth waxes poetic so to speak about Canada being everything positive and lovely for escaping slaves arriving from the United States).

[Meghan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Similarly to the previous book, Corey does something foolish and does not receive a consequence. Canada is portrayed a bit unrealistically and instead of Ontario, it should be using Canada West. This book felt particularly short.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely quick read. Don't think it even took me an hour. I was glad everything came full circle. This honestly I think was my favorite book of the whole series.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great ending, it had me tearing up.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Sharon Dennis Wyeth is one of three based on the character and his life and is part of the My America series. Message in the sky is about a young boy named, Corey. Corey and his family fled to Canada in hope of freedom. Now, Corey family built their own home on their own farmland and he would be starting school soon. But when Corey hatches a plan to help his friend, he is pulled into a thrilling, crazy, wild life. The Mr. Jenkins and his two sons along with this wife and daughter fled to freedom, but Mrs. Jenkins and her daughter were captured before making out of the south now Mr. Jenkins alone with his two sons, Just and Jim. Corey starts helping out on the underground Railroad/boating once a week and during this time, Corey takes Just and Jim(birds he named after the Jenkins kids) out farther and farther each trip letting them go, testing their abilities to find their way home alone. On one trip Corey runs into a girl named Glady, and her mother. Later, on the trip back home he finds out Glady and her mother is Mr. Jenkins wife and daughter. They arrive safely in Canada and find that Just and Jim made it safely to Candida many weeks earlier. Unfortunately, several weeks after the arriving in Candida Mrs. Jenkins died of an illness.

I really enjoyed this book. It was written like a journal and was based on real events, but fictional in the fact that it was not written about real people. I enjoyed reading and would recommend this book you early readers to get them interested in history, but adults and young adults might find it mundane because it was the book is so general. This would be recommended for readers between the ages of 8 and 13 dependent on their personal reading level.

[Jenifer Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last book has Corey and Mingo attending school together and worrying for the friends they left behind. Mingo hopes that they can help Aunt Queen, who he sees as a mother, to freedom like they have and they are planning to buy her freedom instead of having her run. Corey does put himself in danger in this book as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, he's able to help people to safety. Though there is character death in this so I recommend that if your child is younger and hasn't understood death, it may be beneficial to wait a little bit.

[Brandy Gilbertson]

Nice to introduce easy chapter book series to children. They are written as journals each dated and entries are very short. The print is large and very easy to read. The sentences are very simple. This is an easy way for children to learn about the Underground Railroad and significant information about this time period.

*Book from text

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good use of historical details in a fictional format.

[Patrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's fascinating to see the underground railroad through a child's eyes.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had a moment or two of having to suspend the believability of how the story played out but I did like reading more about Corey.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great but I made the mistake of reading this book before the other ones so I would read this series but read them in order. Other than that it was great.

[Dalton Dettbarn]

This is a good book about the Underground Railroad.

[Nathaniel]

good fast paced book good story line