Ann Fights for Freedom: An Underground Railroad Survival Story

Girls Survive

by Nikki Shannon Smith

Twelve-year-old Ann understands there is only one thing to be grateful for as a slave: having her family together. But when the master falls into debt, he plans to sell both Ann and her younger brother to two different owners. Ann is convinced her family must run away on the Underground Railroad. Will Ann's family survive the dangerous trip to their freedom in the North ? This Girls Survive story is supported by a glossary, discussion questions, and nonfiction material on the Underground Railroad, making it a valuable resource for young readers.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Survival, Historical, Family, Fiction

1 pages, Audio CD

Published February 27, 2024

About the author

I was born and raised in Oakland, CA and now live in Davis, CA with my husband and two children. I love to read, write, listen to music, dance, act silly, and visit the coast. I've worked at elementary schools for over 25 years, and love spending my days with children. My books include: The Little Christmas Elf (2011), Treasure Hunt (2019), Ann Fights for Freedom: An Underground Railroad Survival Story (2019), Noelle at Sea: A Titanic Survival Story (2019), and Charlotte Spies for Justice: A Civil War Survival Story (2019). I have two new titles releasing in 2020! The first is my new series with Capstone titled The Amazing Life of Azaleah Lane, releasing January 1st. The second is Sarah Journeys West: An Oregon Trail Survival Story, releasing February 1st.

Reviews

[Susanne Aspley · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Reviewed for Multicultural Children's Book Day)
Ann Fights for Freedom is part historical fiction, part adventure story. According to Smith in the back of the book, “When I wrote this story… I wanted to tell a realistic and accurate story, yet still write a book that children could enjoy. I also wanted to show many different kinds of people working together to lead enslaved people to freedom and to fight for equality.”
Multicultural books such as this is an important way to help students to gain a better understanding of both their own culture and the cultures of others. It’s also a suspenseful and exciting read.
The beautiful full page illustrations throughout the book by Alessia Trunfio are done in tonal black and white. The text is printed on pages to look like parchment paper. This all adds to the historical context of the book.
“I hope this story makes you hold your breath and cross your fingers for Ann. I also hope you learn a bit about history. Maybe you will work with others to fight for what you think is right,” Smith said. “Maybe YOU will be an everyday hero too.”

[Daniel Hojan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Ann Fights for Freedom
Author: Nikki Shannon Smith

Reading Level: 4
Book Level: 4

Summary: Ann is a slave girl growing up on a plantation, with the only remotely positive aspect of her life being her connection to family. Unfortunately, after her master needs to find some money, he decides to sell Ann and her brother to two different owners. Ann knows that this means that it is time for her and her family to escape and travel north to freedom.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Mentor Writing Trait:
Ideas: This book deals with a number of big ideas. Students can learn about slavery and the toll it had on slaves both physically and mentally. They can learn about bravery and leadership in the face of adversity. They can learn about the Underground Railroad and the perilous journey that was made by slaves hoping to escape to a better life. One possible activity would be to trace the journey by Ann and her family on a map, with significant plot points written down next to where they occurred, in order to help the students understand the difficult journey.

[Morgan (youarethelibrarian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wish they’d make these books longer. There needs to be an epilogue after the initial survival so we can see how the characters carry on!
Ann is determined and strong, and dedicated to her family. She took charge of the situation when her mom wanted to turn back, and she led them to freedom.

[Cheryl Woolsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw these Girl Survived books on Tiktok and they were compared to the I Survived books only all of these have a girl as a main character. This was a quick 20 minute read, the book is written for a younger audience than the I Survived books with less details.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

"Good and bad come in every size, shape, and color."

My library had this as a digital title where it reads the book to you, which is why I wanted to try it out. If your library has this feature and you have a young reader who is still getting used to reading longer books I feel like this is a good option. It had a real narrator doing the voice as a regular audiobook would, which is so much better than the usual mono-tone reader that happens a lot in the read-a-long ones I've seen for kids.

The story itself is an informative one that follows Ann and her family as they try to find their own path along the underground railroad. Ann and her family do get separated for a little bit, which leads Ann to have to be the leader of her mom and her younger siblings. While this was scary for her it was also a good thing, because it gave her mom the strength she needed to keep going. It mentions some of the realities of slavery in a kid-friendly way that shows some of what was happening while also not being too much.

I do want to read more by this author. I know my library has several more so I want to check those out as well and see what I think of them. I'm so glad more kids' books that show history are being made again.

[Jessica F · Rating 5 out of 5]

A suspenseful historical story of persistence for young readers! LOVE the illustrations. Like the additional facts and suggested activities in the back matter, too. This whole book is really well done. Nikki Shannon Smith gives an authentic but still age-appropriate and accessible portrayal of slavery for young readers.

When Ann finds out her family is about to be torn apart, she convinces her parents to run away, even though they don't have a conductor and no one can tell them where the first station on the Underground Railroad is. Along the way, Ann learns that good and bad comes in all colors and discovers a deep inner-strength that will lead her family to freedom.

[Benjamin Ellefson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up in the south before the Civil War as a slave is an unbearable life. But luckily, Ann is at least able to still live with both her mother, father, brother, and baby sisters. That all changes when they discover their master is planning on selling Ann and her little brother. So they decide to flee into the Underground Railroad in order to keep their family together.

Ann Fights for Freedom is a heart wrenching, exciting story that delves into an key part of American History. It's a must read for all young readers.

Check out my full review on my blog: https://www.benjaminellefson.com/blog...

[Annika Samuelsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiona bor på ett gods i USA ihop med sin familj, mamma, pappa, Jakob och Lisa.
Det är 1854 och de är slavar hos herr Adam. De får reda på att herr Adam saknar pengar och därför tänker sälja Fiona och hennes bror Jakob, till två olika godsägare. En familj ska vara tillsammans!
Fionas familj bestämmer sig för att fly. I norr finns inget slaveri och det är dit de tänker ta sig.
Fiona har hört talas om "Den underjordiska järnvägen" men hur ska de hitta den, den är ju hemlig.

När deras pappa försvinner så blir det upp till Fiona att leda familjen rätt. Ska hon klara det eller kommer hon alltid förbli en vit människas ägodel?

[Angelica Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read both of the Girls Survive books by Nikki Shannon Smith and loved both titles. This is a great historical series for girls and boys to read, featuring girls who use their wits in perilous situations. Even if they're scared, even if they feel alone, even if they don't always get things right the first time. I would have devoured these when I was a girl, and younger me had great taste in books too!

[Vanetta Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing read . As someone who wasn’t familiar about the Underground Railroad history, this book was a starter for the same. I was shocked to see that such a well articulated story was a quick read and I wanted to know more about the journey of the protagonist. Speaking about the protagonist, wow just wow . Ann is such a pivotal character in the story , kinda gives you feminist vibes . Overall , I loved listening to this audiobook and reading the ebook as well .

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this Girls Survive series, will definitely read more of them. Main character is 12 year old girl who is brave, determined and a true leader. Lots of situational tension, just the right amount to walk the line between scary and exciting for the tween crowd. Amazing job of bringing this bit of history alive for this age group.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this for my 10 year old daughter to read. She read 2 chapters a day without complaining. I watched her face react to what she was reading, she talked about it with me, and she asked me to read it when she finished it! Huge compliments from a child who is a reluctant reader.
I read it and enjoyed it. Great book for girls, boys, family read-alouds, or adults! I recommend it to all!

[Sandybear76]

Ann and her family finds out that the master of the plantation is short money and will be selling Ann and her little brother soon. The family decides that they have to runaway and head north at night.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

All three kids were engrossed in this book during our bedtime read aloud. They were surprised to learn that Pennsylvania was the dividing line for freedom. Realistic, factual, and, “A great ending!” according to my 7 year old daughter.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual in this series, it’s much stronger on facts about the event than characterization, especially making the characters feel non-modern. I did like that Ann had to drive her family’s flight, although it made her mom seem like a bit of a loser.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girls Survive series is perfect for young readers who want to read about history in a diary format. These books remind me of the Dear America series and offer a nice alternative with a newer look.

[Reecie Styers]

I thought this was an amazing book. It shows what other people had to go through to be free.

[Kaitlyn Ballenger]

This was a really great book, I love the character Ann. She's really brave in her fight to get her family safely to freedom!!

[Cali Lorden]

hgfluyg

[Yue Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have really good memories of it

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciate that these books don't shy away at all from depicting the harsh realities of America's past.

[Columbo Magnum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is something that children should read when learning about slavery and the journey to freedom. I recommend it.

[Missy Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

underground railroad, slavery, survival

Great quick read to introduce the Underground Railroad.

[Debra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I abandoned this one. I just could not get into the writing, characters, or story line at all.

[MaryLou]

Read this children’s book back in March before I started writing reviews, so can’t fairly rate it so many months later.

[Sarah-Marie Rosin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute children's book about the underground railroad.

[Barbara Mittelstadt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this quick read. Very fast paced and action packed. Perfect for a reluctant reader. Suggested for all students. Strong female character.

[Jennybeast · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid, well told story for early chapter book readers. Ann's a strong character, with a variety of complex emotions throughout the book, and I think the author does an excellent job telling the story from her point of view. Lets kids her age understand the time period (pre-Civil War) and the subject matter (slavery, the Underground Railroad) without getting bogged down in a larger overview. The images are a bit cartoony, but that I think that adds to the kid-appeal. Great read.