FREEWATER by Amina Luqman Dawson

 

Freewater by Amina Luqman Dawson

African American, Slavery, Survival

403 pages

Newbery Award Winner 2023
Grades 4-7

Description
"After fleeing the plantation where they were enslaved, siblings Ada and Homer discover the secret community of Freewater, and work with freeborn Sanzi to protect their new home from the encroaching dangers of the outside world." -The Publisher

School Library Journal Xpress (March 25, 2022)

Gr 5-8-Sometimes, to be free, you have to make a life in a place where no one can find you. Freewater is such a place. With their mother leading the way, Homer and his younger sister Ada try to escape their hellish lives of slavery on the Southerland Plantation. But Homer remembers his promise of freedom to his friend Anna; his mother turns back for her but is caught. Homer and Ada run to nearby river and plunge into the raging waters that carry them into the Great Dismal Swamp. Lost and disoriented, they are rescued by Suleman, a mysterious and taciturn guide who leads them through the inhospitable swamp to Freewater, a settlement of escaped men, women, and children living in freedom. Slowly, Homer begins to appreciate living and working together to contribute to the thriving community. But what about his mama? Plagued by guilt about his mother's capture, Homer decides to return to the plantation to rescue his mother and Anna. His new friends from Freewater pledge to return with him. Using a hand-drawn map that (unbelievably) survives multiple drenchings, Homer and company undertake the seemingly impossible rescue. Told from many alternating points of view, it is somewhat challenging to keep the characters straight at the outset. While using archeological evidence of settlements of formerly enslaved people within the Great Dismal Swamp as the basis for the text, the story itself is a speculative look into such a community. VERDICT A fascinating look at a fictional Black resistance settlement in little-known place.-Lisa Crandall © Copyright 2022. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

My Comments
Dawson manages to capture the grueling life, the courage, and the often-painful dilemmas faced by slaves on plantations through the eyes of children. Ada may see a little young for middle school readers, but there are older characters to whom they can relate. The story is gripping. The character development and growing understanding of others' tragic pasts add strong possibilities for discussion. Highly recommended.

CITY OF GHOSTS: Part 1 by Victoria Schwab

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural

Lex 720L

Description
"Ever since her near-fatal drowning, Cassidy has been able to pull back the "Veil" that separates the living from the dead and see ghosts, not that she wants to, and she was really looking forward to a ghost-free summer at the beach; however her parents are about to start filming a TV series about the world's most haunted places, starting with Edinburgh with its graveyards, castles, and restless phantoms--and Cass and her personal ghost companion, Jacob, are about to find out that a city of old ghosts can be a very dangerous place indeed." -The Publisher

My Comments
"Fun" Scary! A great choice for those who have read Mary Downing Hahn books and are ready for a little more of a challenge.

 

Patron Saint of Nothing by Randy Ribay

Patron Saint of Nothing by Randy Ribay

Philippines, Drug Traffick, Murder, Cousins

323 pages
Ages 14+
Lexile 840L

Description

When seventeen-year-old Jay Reguero learns his Filipino cousin and former best friend, Jun, was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, he flies to the Philippines to learn more.

Booklist starred (May 1, 2019 (Vol. 115, No. 17))

Grades 10-12. After finding out about his cousin Jun’s violent death, Jay Reguero travels from America to the Philippines to uncover how such a gentle person met such a grim end. He finds that the place that he remembers—the place of his birth—has changed in the face of a sweeping drug war initiated by President Rodrigo Duterte, a war that Jun’s father, Tito Maning, enthusiastically endorses. Jay digs into the circumstances of Jun’s death, while navigating the sinuous history between family members, including the schism created by his own father's decision to raise his children in America. Jay’s investigations are an intriguing setup for what is actually a deep, nuanced, and painfully real family drama. Jay himself is a relatable character for biracial readers straddling two different cultures. This dynamic comes into play both when he tries to convey his feelings to his American friends and when he travels abroad and is treated like an outsider by other Filipinos despite looking the same. Ribay’s focus, however, is on showing the current-day war on drugs ravaging Filipino society, characterized by extrajudicial vigilante killings endorsed by the highest levels of government. By deftly weaving key details into Jay’s quest for the truth, Ribay provides a much-needed window for young people of the West to better understand the Filipino history of colonization, occupation, and revolution.

My Comments
Powerful read. It is in a sense, a coming-of-age story in which Jay begins to understand the complexity of another culture and with that understanding, compassion.