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jvbook_reader's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
That was unpleasant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Child death, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Death, and Trafficking
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Cursing
jana114's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
eahaynes's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mschrock8's review against another edition
No stars. This book has many cruel people and many cruel circumstances. Not even a very happy ending.
Working through the Newbery Medal winners. Borrowed from B.F. Hamilton Library at Franklin College.
Working through the Newbery Medal winners. Borrowed from B.F. Hamilton Library at Franklin College.
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
3.0
I know I bought this from a Scholastic book order in a boxed set of award winners, but this is the one I remember least. I honestly couldn't tell you anything about it. I loved the other books in it, though - Incident at Hawk's Hill, The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankeweiler, and The Island of the Blue Dolphins.
kimball_hansen's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good book. I'd give it 3.5 stars. I don't know much about the Slave Trade apart from what little is taught in High School and this gave me a better glimpse of the reality of it.
battykat08's review against another edition
4.0
My rating is based on my reading of the book as a child; I haven’t read it as an adult. I was about 10 years old and it quite literally changed me. It stayed with me for decades; it influenced my sense of right and wrong, of justice or lack thereof. I've tried many times over the years to remember the name of this book, and only rediscovered it today on a list of Newbery winners.
I am white and grew up in a middle class home. I had seen the series Roots with my family, or at least parts of it, but since I was only 7 or 8 at the time, much of it went over my head. I only saw suffering and cruelty without understanding the framework around it; I still had no idea what slavery was. Reading The Slave Dancer gave me context I could understand (case in point: At that moment, I didn’t realize this story had anything to do with what I'd seen on TV).
This book moved me deeply. I was horrified by it, but very glad I read it. It taught me things I’d never known about. It kindled empathy and anguish in my childish heart. And even though it made me feel angry and hurt, it also made me hungry to learn more about the world, about history and human nature. What is it that makes people want to do bad things to other people, or to be ok with others doing so?
Anyone who dismisses this as “too much” for children is underestimating the strength, relentless curiosity, and natural open-mindedness of most children—something many lose as they grow up. Sure, it’s not a book that every young person could or might want to read, but I think every child/teenager should be allowed to decide that for themselves.
I am white and grew up in a middle class home. I had seen the series Roots with my family, or at least parts of it, but since I was only 7 or 8 at the time, much of it went over my head. I only saw suffering and cruelty without understanding the framework around it; I still had no idea what slavery was. Reading The Slave Dancer gave me context I could understand (case in point: At that moment, I didn’t realize this story had anything to do with what I'd seen on TV).
This book moved me deeply. I was horrified by it, but very glad I read it. It taught me things I’d never known about. It kindled empathy and anguish in my childish heart. And even though it made me feel angry and hurt, it also made me hungry to learn more about the world, about history and human nature. What is it that makes people want to do bad things to other people, or to be ok with others doing so?
Anyone who dismisses this as “too much” for children is underestimating the strength, relentless curiosity, and natural open-mindedness of most children—something many lose as they grow up. Sure, it’s not a book that every young person could or might want to read, but I think every child/teenager should be allowed to decide that for themselves.
mrslaww612's review against another edition
5.0
A beautifully written, haunting look at life on a slavery's ship.