Scan barcode
A review by misspentdays
Unbound: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg
TL, DR: Excellent use of verse format to bring to the life of a slave in a middle grade appropriate way. It also highlights the little known story of the Maroons of The Great Dismal Swamp.
I'm going to spoiler tag this, although I feel the little bits I mention would in no way ruin the read.
Unbound provides glimpses into slave life as filtered through Grace’s young eyes. Some of the horrors are made obvious in what isn’t said, because Grace doesn’t understand or know about it herself. For example, Grace swears she doesn’t have a father, but when she see the Master and his blue eyes, it becomes obvious to the reader who her father is. It also explains Missus’s special venom directed at a child.
Ann E Burg is the critically acclaimed author of Serafina’s Promise and All the Broken Pieces. She has been recognized by the ALA Best Books List and the NAACP Image Awards. Here she uses the true story of the “Maroons” who found refuge from slavery not by running North, but by hiding in The Great Dismal Swamp along the border of Virginia and North Carolina. Burg brings the cruelties of life on the plantation to life with a deft hand that keeps the reader’s interest with intense story and a quick pace. The story, while very intense, never becomes so graphic that it loses a middle grade reading audience.
This is an excellent choice for a cross-curricular tie in with Black History month or for American Studies. I highly recommend it for seventh grade readers.
I'm going to spoiler tag this, although I feel the little bits I mention would in no way ruin the read.
Spoiler
Nine-year-old Grace has lived her entire life in the slave cabins, but now her light skin causes her to be summoned to the big house. After promising her family that she will keep her eyes down and her mouth closed, she tries to stay out of the way of Missus. At nine, she does not yet realize that there is no winning with such a hard-hearted woman. Grace’s life changes when a fellow house slave, Jordan, makes a run for freedom. To make up for the unbudgeted expense of replacement, Master decides to sell off Grace’s toddler brothers along with her mother. Grace, remembering the advice of Uncle Jim, her stepfather, hears auction and knows the family must run.Unbound provides glimpses into slave life as filtered through Grace’s young eyes. Some of the horrors are made obvious in what isn’t said, because Grace doesn’t understand or know about it herself. For example, Grace swears she doesn’t have a father, but when she see the Master and his blue eyes, it becomes obvious to the reader who her father is. It also explains Missus’s special venom directed at a child.
Ann E Burg is the critically acclaimed author of Serafina’s Promise and All the Broken Pieces. She has been recognized by the ALA Best Books List and the NAACP Image Awards. Here she uses the true story of the “Maroons” who found refuge from slavery not by running North, but by hiding in The Great Dismal Swamp along the border of Virginia and North Carolina. Burg brings the cruelties of life on the plantation to life with a deft hand that keeps the reader’s interest with intense story and a quick pace. The story, while very intense, never becomes so graphic that it loses a middle grade reading audience.
This is an excellent choice for a cross-curricular tie in with Black History month or for American Studies. I highly recommend it for seventh grade readers.