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A review by bethanymiller415
Unbound: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg
3.0
Student Review by Anita (11th Grade)
Promises carry a heavy meaning with young Grace. When the people she holds dear provide her with important promises of keeping her eyes down and her thoughts to herself in the big house, Grace is determined to hold on to them. But when she is sent to the “Big House” and witnesses the unfair ways of the Master and Missus, she can’t help but let out her voice of reason. What will happen when Grace gets her family in trouble because of her broken promises?
My feelings on this book are very hazy. The book is written in verse, which was strange to me at first, but I quickly got used to it. It isn’t the worst book I’ve ever read; however, it isn’t the best book I’ve ever read either. When Grace and her family are forced to run from the plantation, you would expect the plot to become more dramatic and exciting. However, the author fails to create suspense, and the book was a bit boring at times.
Recommendation(s): I would recommend this book to readers of other books by the author such as All the Broken Pieces and Serafina’s Promise. For readers looking for more complex books that deal with slavery, I highly recommend Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. Kindred not only deals with slavery in the 1800s but also uses a blend of Sci-Fi which--even though it seems to contrast with the subject of slavery--truly enhances the book, and provides ideas that readers reading the book in the present can relate to.
Grade: 5-8
Genre: Historical Fiction, Poetry
Library Merit: Mediocre
Characterization: Mediocre
Promises carry a heavy meaning with young Grace. When the people she holds dear provide her with important promises of keeping her eyes down and her thoughts to herself in the big house, Grace is determined to hold on to them. But when she is sent to the “Big House” and witnesses the unfair ways of the Master and Missus, she can’t help but let out her voice of reason. What will happen when Grace gets her family in trouble because of her broken promises?
My feelings on this book are very hazy. The book is written in verse, which was strange to me at first, but I quickly got used to it. It isn’t the worst book I’ve ever read; however, it isn’t the best book I’ve ever read either. When Grace and her family are forced to run from the plantation, you would expect the plot to become more dramatic and exciting. However, the author fails to create suspense, and the book was a bit boring at times.
Recommendation(s): I would recommend this book to readers of other books by the author such as All the Broken Pieces and Serafina’s Promise. For readers looking for more complex books that deal with slavery, I highly recommend Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. Kindred not only deals with slavery in the 1800s but also uses a blend of Sci-Fi which--even though it seems to contrast with the subject of slavery--truly enhances the book, and provides ideas that readers reading the book in the present can relate to.
Grade: 5-8
Genre: Historical Fiction, Poetry
Library Merit: Mediocre
Characterization: Mediocre