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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really liked this one. Normally dialects, or improperly written English, drives me nuts, but Berg does it in a way that doesn't bother me. I should have known this, because I love Berg's other books.
Grace is being sent to the Big House to work. She's told to leave her questions about rightiness in her mind: why do some people get to eat more but work less? why do some people own others? what's happening in the smokehouse? When she accidentally says one thing too far, she and her family go on the run.
I had no idea that there were communities of ex-slaves living in the swamps in western Virginia. I assumed they all went north. Berg has written a beautiful story that will teach children about that. She also shows the way slavery dehumanizes people, but never in a way that's too graphic for her middle grade audience.
Grace is being sent to the Big House to work. She's told to leave her questions about rightiness in her mind: why do some people get to eat more but work less? why do some people own others? what's happening in the smokehouse? When she accidentally says one thing too far, she and her family go on the run.
I had no idea that there were communities of ex-slaves living in the swamps in western Virginia. I assumed they all went north. Berg has written a beautiful story that will teach children about that. She also shows the way slavery dehumanizes people, but never in a way that's too graphic for her middle grade audience.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
This was an awesome book! I loved it! All the characters were so cool and the journey Grave took was very cool. Her journey had some very good parts to it and some hard ones, but in the end she made it and was free.
I would highly recommend the audio version of this--it's read by [a:Bahni Turpin|2177387|Bahni Turpin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1327006614p2/2177387.jpg] and is phenomenal.
Controlling your own narrative and writing your own story are two big themes in Unbound. Slavery is a system that kept people legally and mentally bound for years. One young slave can't help but question a system that forces her to forsake suspend her own sense of right and wrong to survive. When she learns about her master's plan to divide her family, she must use every ounce of courage to plan a dangerous escape. This book is a relatively quick read and a good choice for historical fiction. The word choices might be problematic, but overall it's a good read.
“Outside, the stars is still danglin in the purple darkness- not a trail of ladle stars, but loose stars, runaway stars, stars too stubborn to disappear.” — UNBOUND.
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UNBOUND is a middle grade novel in verse about young Grace and her family who live as slaves on a plantation. The story is set in the south, pre-Civil War. Ann E. Burg’s novel shines light on a specific community of runaway slaves, called the maroons. They lived in the Great Dismal Swamp in VA and NC.
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I fell hard for Grace and her tenacity. She is fierce, questioning, and loyal to her family. She knows her worth and fights for her freedom with unbelievable bravery. Burg’s prose is fresh and lyrical. I loved this story and highly recommend it. I’m eager to read the rest of her books!
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UNBOUND is a middle grade novel in verse about young Grace and her family who live as slaves on a plantation. The story is set in the south, pre-Civil War. Ann E. Burg’s novel shines light on a specific community of runaway slaves, called the maroons. They lived in the Great Dismal Swamp in VA and NC.
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I fell hard for Grace and her tenacity. She is fierce, questioning, and loyal to her family. She knows her worth and fights for her freedom with unbelievable bravery. Burg’s prose is fresh and lyrical. I loved this story and highly recommend it. I’m eager to read the rest of her books!
Written in verse from the viewpoint of a young slave girl, we follow her family through a series of months and how they are treated and escape to the wilds of a nearby swamp. The terror of the swamp is nothing compared to the knowledge of their freedom.
Historical fiction/poetry
Grades 4-6
Historical fiction/poetry
Grades 4-6
I absolutely loved the story of Grace and her family’s escape to freedom. The fact that the story is told in poetry/verse makes the plot more intoxicating. There were points in the novel where I was so invested from the suspense of the verse I couldn’t put it down. It is never too much or too little detail. The author does a great job exposing a little known aspect of slavery, the Maroon people. I want to learn more!
