Eliza's Freedom Road - Jerdine Nolen

Eliza's Freedom Road by Jerdine Nolen
Nolen has written several picture books which I've loved. Raising Dragons and Thunder Rose are two of my favorites. Eliza Freedom Road is her middle grade debut and it's a very good one.

Set in 1854 11 yr old Eliza is a slave on a Virginia plantation. The plantation owner sold Eliza's mother without giving the two a chance to say good. Eliza is looked after by Abbey, who is responsible for the kitchen. Eliza knows how to read and write and Abbey encourages her to keep a diary. The mistress of the house isn't well and it's Eliza's job to look after her. When the mistress goes to stay with her sister in Baltimore Eliza's goes too. Eliza is scared about her future if she returns to the plantation in Virginia. Rather then worry about being sold again Eliza decides to make her way alone to freedom.

Eliza's mother was a gifted story teller, that gift has been passed down. Weaved within the journal entries, are the stories Eliza's tells to people on her quest for freedom. The quilt Eliza is holding on the cover was given to Eliza by her mother, each patch represents a different story. There are two empty spaces for Eliza to add her own stories.

I really enjoyed the straightforward telling of Eliza's Freedom Road. I also appreciated that mistress wasn't portrayed as a kind hearted soul who Eliza would become attached to. It's no secret that there are a lot of middle grade novels set during the civil war era. Yet it can still be difficult to find one that would be appropriate for a young reader you is just being introduced to the history slavery in the U.S. With each new diary entry, the reader gets to know Eliza and her situation a little better. Therefore allowing a reader to better understand slavery.

I loved the stories intertwined within the diary entries. They fit all the scenes seamlessly. The stories were also great reprieve for Eliza and the others seeking freedom. In the author notes, Nolen talks briefly about all the stories, including the Flying People and How the Stars Came Into the Sky.

read chapter one

Bird in a Box - Andrea Davis Pinkney

Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney
The story takes place in 1936,during the middle of the great depression. The three main characters, are 12yr old Otis, Willie and Hibernia. At the beginning the three have yet to meet. All of them are fans of Joe Louis. The author enterwines some of the fights throughout the story. With so much going wrong the great fighter gives the three someone to hope and believe in.

Hibernia lives with her father a reverend. Her mother left to follow her dream to sing at the Savoy. Willie is forced to leave home after a terrible incident with his abusive father. Soon Otis must go live at Mercy Home For Negro Orphans as well. That's where the two meet.

The chapters alternate between the three characters. Sometimes this can be tricky, especially when dealing with more then two characters. The author runs the risk of not developing the characters or storylines enough. After one characters scene would end, I'd still have questions. When the story returned to that particular character, it was already onto something new.

After the last awful encounter with his father, Willie goes to live at Mercy. When he arrives Lily, the woman working there, tells him he needs some salve. The next time Willie appears there's drastic change without an explanation. The salve didn't work. This happens more then once. It felt like I was missing important parts of the story. Hibernia's father is set in his ways and very strict. Yet one day he simply decides to open up and talk about Hibernia's mother. Again, I wondered about the why of this.

The characters voices were blending together. I think part of it had to do with the short chapters, but I had a difficult time distinguishing between Otis and Willie.

Pinkney has a great body of work. All the books I've read by her I've loved. I went into Bird in a Box (a book I was really looking forward to ) wondering not if but how much I would enjoy it. So I was surprised, that it simply didn't work for me.

Positive reviews and an excerpt.

Margo's review @ The Fourth Musketeer

Beth's review @ Points West

Starred Kirkus Review

Calvin Coconut - Graham Salisbury- Jacqueline Rogers

Calvin Coconut: Dog Heaven by Graham Salisbury illus by Jacqueline Rogers
This is the third Calvin Coconut book. This is a great early chapter series that features a diverse cast of characters. Calvin lives in Hawaii with his mother and younger sister Darci. Stella, the teenage daughter of his mother's best friend is staying with them.

At school Calvin's class is given an assignment to write a persuasive letter. Calvin decides to write about wanting a dog. With the help of his mother's boyfriend, Ledward, Calvin eventually gets the dog he really wants.

This works well as stand alone. Though it's best read in order, since Salisbury does a great job of developing the characters and their relationships.

Jacqueline Rogers illustrations are great. I especially like the ones with Stella and Calvin. Rogers also show off Calvin's active imagination.

An excerpt from the first book. Just in case book four, Calvin Coconut: Zoo Breath is already out