Reviews

Unbound: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg

vasiljul000's review against another edition

4.0

This is the second book I have read by Ann E. Burg and I am just as pleased as I was with the first book. Unbound follows Grace, the enslaved protagonist, and her journey of working on a plantation in the big house, away from her family. She finds that her mother and brothers will be auctioned off and runs away to her family, escaping the clutches of enslavement. They join a community in the swamp and face constant threat of being captured again. Grace explores what "freedom" really means. This book will tug at your heartstrings and maybe even bring a tear to your eye.

maren_hemsath's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

maddyb8c58c's review against another edition

4.0

This book was really good for me I feel like it deals with an important topic and I feel like I loved that it was written in verse I feel like it really suited the book well. I also feel like the author addresses the seriousness when they got to the destination and how the kids felt about it all. Even though it wasn't written from multiple peoples point of view I think that you honestly got everyone's opinion on almost everything. I really like it and I hope you will too because I feel like this author did a really good job and deserves more recognition.

katiebowers's review against another edition

5.0

This is spoiler-y, so skip if you prefer: this is a quick, lyrical read about an enslaved family’s run to freedom with a happy ending and no deaths. Grace is 9-years-old when she overhears her enslaver’s plans to sell her mother and young brothers, prompting her to push her family out the door to freedom. They land in a vast swamp in an area in Virginia and North Carolina that is home to many Indigenous peoples and maroons - formerly enslaved Black people - who live their lives totally separate from the society that tried to enslave and kill them. It’s not a group of people that we learn much about in literature or history in the U.S., and this felt like a very intriguing introduction that could pique interest in learning more for some young readers (and adult readers, too, because I feel the need to go down a wiki rabbit hole on some of the events in the book!). I don’t think I’ve read a freedom story before that wasn’t a fleeing-for-the-North narrative, and I’m now really interested to read more.

maidmarianlib's review against another edition

4.0

Brings sting emotion with the verse and tells a string story.

rshaharyar's review against another edition

5.0

I just finished this book and am still reeling! A beautifully written book told from the perspective of a 9-year-old girl. It is absolutely gut-wrenching, heartbreaking and yet full of hope. This might be juvenile fiction but I loved it! Grace asks all the questions that only a child can ask in their most naive, unjaded ways. The love that her mama feels for her and her children is something that any mother can empathize with. I bought this because I wanted my 10-year-old to have some exposure to books about slavery. This is perfect for that. The first half of the book is quite brutally grim but not so that I don't think my child can't handle it. Most definitely a great conversation starter for families. Some amazing discussion points.

chachacenteno's review against another edition

5.0

Powerful...read alike to Julius Lester's "A Day of Tears."

junkyardigan's review against another edition

3.0

this was an ok book, but I didn't like it that much because of the characters and the description wasn't the best. i thought it was a sort of repetitive book. i recommend this if you like free verse.

m0rganh's review against another edition

4.0

A novel in verse about slaves in the early 1860s? DUH. Already knew I was gonna love this one as much as I did, but was pleasantly surprised to learn about the Maroons and their bravery and resilience as they fled slavery and oppression by journeying into the deep and dangerous swamps of Virginia and North Carolina. Two thumbs up.

booknrrd's review against another edition

4.0

A 2018-2019 Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award preliminary nominee (grades 4-6).

Grace is a slave and is being taken away from her family to work in the Big House. Soon Grace finds herself in trouble because she can't keep her "rightiness" thoughts to herself, and her family is forced to flee into the swamp.

I think 21st century children will be able to relate to Grace and her "rightiness" thoughts. Grace doesn't accept the world she has been born into, but questions everything. The free verse and use of dialect might turn off some young readers. Overall I really liked it. Good characterizations.